Tension grows between U.S. troops, Iraqis

By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

JAZEERAT EL-ANBAR, Iraq -- The tribal leader had just been freed after 12 days in an American prison. Well-wishers flocked to his house. They kissed his cheek. They cried. Mostly, they cursed their U.S. occupiers.

Sheik Saad Naif Mish'hen al-Hardan, wearing a yellow Arab robe, looked pale and dazed. "History will record this," the 40-year-old leader told his followers.

"Everything that begins must end," he said, shaking his head. "And no incident will be forgotten."

The meaning of al-Hardan's words was not lost on the dozens of men sitting on his porch, their rage palpable. The al-Daylami tribe was deeply insulted that U.S. forces arrested al-Hardan, and in front of his people.

Before, al-Hardan and his tribesmen said, they welcomed the Americans, offering them refreshments as they passed through after Baghdad fell April 9.

But his arrest - and his apparent threat of retribution - is another example of how cultural misunderstandings are raising tensions and the danger level on all sides in Iraq.