Paramilitary

A notorious ex-paramilitary leader accused by authorities of drug trafficking and gun running was arrested early Wednesday in the northern Colombian jungle, capping a months-long pursuit. The detention of Daniel Rendon Herrera, 43, described by police as Colombia's "most wanted criminal," could set off a violent power struggle within the illicit drug world.

The meeting between the Marines and the power brokers of this border region began with pleasantries, an exchange of gifts, and the drinking of small cups of tea, very hot and very sweet. But within a few minutes the subject turned to one of crucial importance to both sides: the possible rise of militias among Sunni tribes who feel disrespected and shut out of the mild economic upturn the region is enjoying.

They first appeared about 18 months ago: masked gunmen in speeding cars and scooters that kick up the mud along the canals weaving through lonely villages here. The invaders pinned notices on the walls of mosques informing residents that they now lived in the Islamic State of Iraq. For the last year, U.S.-led forces have pursued the militants from one stronghold to the next in Diyala, a province of winding waterways and abundant farms stretching north and east from Baghdad to the Iranian border.

Mahdi Army militiamen brandished Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers at checkpoints in the Sadr City neighborhood Wednesday, a sight harking back to the days after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq when armed followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr regularly defended the streets. This time, though, they are flexing their muscle against the Shiite-led Iraqi government, rather than providing protection against Sunni Muslim extremists. The 2.

In a stucco compound at the center of the Sadr City neighborhood here, a follower of radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr gleefully handed out candies and toffees to visitors Monday. "Have a chocolate," the thin, bearded man said. "This is for our victory over [Prime Minister Nouri] Maliki."

Hard-line Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr threatened "open war" as Iraqi and U.S. forces battled his Mahdi Army militia in two key strongholds Saturday, raising the specter that a truce credited with reducing violence could soon end. The warning was the closest the cleric has come to canceling the truce he called in August, and it coincided with an Iranian denunciation of U.S. airstrikes in support of the Shiite-led government's military offensive.

Clerics and politicians speak in hushed tones about the names drawn up for assassination. Guards stand outside their compounds clutching assault rifles, and handguns rest on desks. No one can be trusted. All sides fear that dark times are coming to Najaf, the spiritual capital of Iraq's Shiite Muslims.

Four summers ago, when militiamen loyal to hard-line Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr were battling U.S. forces in the holy city of Najaf, Mohammed Lami was among them. "I had faith. I believed in something," Lami said of his days hoisting a gun for Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. "Now, I will never fight with them." Lami is no fan of U.S.

The first time Andrew was forced to beat an opposition party supporter, he wanted to weep in sympathy. But it would have been suicidal to show pity on his victim in front of the ruling party youth militia leaders forcing him to commit the violence. "You feel like you want to cry, but you don't expose your tears," he said. "I feel pity beating someone, but there's nothing I can do."

When Robert Mugabe's "green bombers" walk the streets, they know that everyone else is afraid of them. But what everyone else doesn't realize is that the green bombers are frightened of them too. The youth militias are so notorious here that they can seem like cartoon bad guys -- one-dimensional and evil. But the ordinary face of evil is much more human, and more menacing.