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Shiite Clerics Seek to Fill Iraq Power Vacuum

By Ivan Watson
Published April 24, 2003 at 12:00 AM EDT

NPR's Ivan Watson in Baghdad reports Shia Muslim clergymen have mobilized militias and money in a growing bid to fill the vacuum left by the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Some Shiite clerics are advocating establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq, similar to the government in neighboring Iran.

Copyright 2003 NPR
Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.
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