Iraq troops relax in cleric Sadr's former bastion

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi soldiers let their guard down after taking over the Baghdad stronghold of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. They drove through the area with a Lebanese song drowning out the voice of their commander over the radio.

But residents of Sadr City slum interviewed by Reuters on Friday were not so relaxed.

They doubt a truce between Iraqi troops and Sadr's Mehdi Army fighters will bring stability to the area anytime soon, and what they need most of all is basic services and someone to remove piles of stinking garbage just outside their doorsteps.

Thousands of Iraqi soldiers, backed by U.S. attack helicopters, have pushed deep into Sadr City since launching an operation on Tuesday to assert government authority on an area previously outside its control.

The operation came after weeks of fighting pitting U.S. and Iraqi forces against Sadr's Mehdi Army.

Should it succeed, it would boost Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's efforts to show he is tough on armed groups and capable of dismantling their fiefdoms in Iraq's more lawless parts, rather than relying on U.S. troops to fight them.

Sadr City was quiet on Friday, partly because it was the Muslim holy day, but mostly due to the fact that residents are still coming to terms with the destruction.

Long rows of half-demolished apartment buildings, with gaping holes in the cement walls of what were once living rooms, were testament to the recent heavy fighting involving U.S. airstrikes and tank fire.

Scores of shops have been burned down. People are wondering how they can rebuild their lives, not which side to support.

Asked whether he backed the Mehdi Army or Iraqi troops, a resident who gave his name only as Ibrahim said: "That's not the kind of question we answer on the street. What we want is sewage, electricity and services. Water pipes need to be fixed."

Sadr City, home to more than 2 million people, is one of Baghdad's poorest districts.

FOOD QUEUES

The Iraqi army has set up checkpoints along the district's potholed streets and tanks are stationed there. But it has not eased the anxiety of residents who watched fighting flatten their main street market, once one of Baghdad's biggest.

The few people who were on the street pushed each other and yelled as they grabbed at bags of rice and lentils and bottles of water being handed out by soldiers from trucks. Children complained they were left out.

While some residents may frown upon Sadr's militiamen, he is respected because his father, from whom the slum takes its name, was a revered Shi'ite cleric. Posters of father and son are plastered on signposts and buildings all over Sadr City.

"Moqtada has protected us from al Qaeda," said Jawad Kathim, whose limp stops him from walking the long distances required to get around roads sealed off by the army.

"A few months ago the Mehdi Army discovered 10 cars wired with explosives."

Major-General Mizhir Shahir, who commands the Iraqi division posted in Sadr City, said he would seize the Mehdi Army's heavy weapons under the terms of the truce.

"We will take tough action against anyone who resists," he said. That could trigger fresh violence because Sadr's fighters have refused to hand over their heavy weapons all along.

Shahir told reporters that Iraqi troops would not be able to fight without American help unless they got more sophisticated weapons, as well as helicopters and fighter planes.

Major Thamer Ibrahim, one of the officers listening to the Lebanese song as their vehicle moved through Sadr City in a convoy, didn't seem too bothered about any future violence.

He had other things on his mind.

"Did you know Italian restaurants have been in Iraq since the 1970s?" he asked a reporter, pointing to a pizza parlor.