The Iraqis' Stories: Militias hold Iraq in fearsome grip

The Shiite militiamen paid the Sunni government worker a chilling visit as he was leaving the office on what would be his final day on the job.

Carrying AK-47s and pistols when they approached him, the gunmen accused office worker Ayad Kharallah of criticizing a co-worker named Mohammed for his association with the fearsome Mahdi Army. They summoned Kharallah to the militia's neighborhood office to explain himself to their boss.

"I told them I don't talk with Mohammed other than to say hello," said Kharallah, 38, who until three weeks ago held a job with the Health Ministry that paid $200 per month. "But they told me they didn't care. I must meet them at their office the following day."

Kharallah decided meeting the militiamen would be suicidal, and going back to work wasn't a good option either. He called his supervisor at the Health Ministry and told him he wouldn't be returning. His supervisor thanked him for his service and told Kharallah that he had made a wise decision.

Such is life in the dangerous streets of Baghdad, where an estimated 20-plus militias yield more authority than the police and often stymie U.S. forces, who see them as armed bandits and the largest obstacle in Iraq's road to stability.

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