Holding Basra a key test for Iraq gov't

BASRA, Iraq, June 30 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government's ability to hold the peace in Basra in the wake of its battles with Shiite militants is a key test, Iraq officials say.

On the surface, life in the southern port city appears to be returning to normal. The strict Islamic law imposed by the Shiite militias has disappeared, with women now free to walk without veils, musicians playing in the street and alcohol available on the black market, USA Today reported Monday. But the government's hold on the area isn't seen as totally secured as police find signs forces loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr may stage a return.

"Basra is a turning point for Iraq," Lt. Gen. Hussein al-Awadi, the commander of Iraq's paramilitary national police force, told the newspaper, saying Baghdad's needs to keep the peace there to give it credibility in the rest of Iraq.

Some fear Baghdad's writ in Basra may be temporary. USA Today cites a boy caught selling beer on the city's waterfront who was shot and killed last month, and says residents believe the militants still lurk, waiting to reassert themselves as soon as government forces withdraw.