Freed of militias, Basra has new problems

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes ago

BASRA, Iraq - Men and women can openly study and party together for the first time in years at Basra University, free from the threat of Shiite gunmen enforcing extreme Islamic views.

To get to class, however, the students must navigate traffic jams and ubiquitous checkpoints that the Iraqi military calls the price of peace in this sweltering, oil-rich southern city where temperatures soar above 120 degrees.

It often doesn't get any cooler indoors. Basra is suffering widespread electricity shortages that residents blame on Iraqi authorities, who in turn point the finger at neighboring Iran. And then there's the lack of clean tap water.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_basra_aftermath_2