'Press freedom' in the 'fledgling democracy' of 'sovereign Iraq': "There are worrisome signs that the battle for Najaf will be a 'no-holds-barred' campaign. The Allawi government has ordered the expulsion of all members of the press from the city. Najaf's police chief issued a warning to the media saying, 'We will kill you if you leave your hotel. I will put four snipers on the roof to shoot anyone who leaves.' This strongly suggests that the Bush Administration wants no written or photographic record of the brutality they are planning. The curtains are being drawn so the savagery can begin."

'Press freedom' in the 'fledgling democracy' of 'sovereign Iraq': "There are worrisome signs that the battle for Najaf will be a 'no-holds-barred' campaign. The Allawi government has ordered the expulsion of all members of the press from the city. Najaf's police chief issued a warning to the media saying, 'We will kill you if you leave your hotel. I will put four snipers on the roof to shoot anyone who leaves.' This strongly suggests that the Bush Administration wants no written or photographic record of the brutality they are planning. The curtains are being drawn so the savagery can begin."