For even more on that impact of the Iraqi invasion consider
this
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But only in the past year has Basra established a reputation as one of Iraq's most radicalised cities, where the most extreme strictures of Islam are enforced by bearded men with automatic weapons.
Since Saddam's fall and Washington's decision to disband the Iraqi army, Basra has very largely become the preserve of militias pledging allegiance to intolerant ayatollahs.
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