Senior Sunni and Shiite Muslim religious leaders call for a quick end to the occupation of their country by US-led coalition forces but US Defense Secretary told reporters in Washington that those forces will remain in Iraq as long as possible to ensure that no theocracy on Iran's image will fill in the vacuum after the fall of the Saddam regime in Baghdad. Meanwhile, Washington's top general has admitted that the invasion forces are still facing resistance pockets especially in northern Iraq.

At Baghdad's Abi Hanifah Nouman mosque, Sheikh Moayyad Ibrahim al-Aadhami told worshippers after Friday prayers that Iraq says no to America, and no to occupation. The people of Iraq, he added, would not replace one tyrant with another. He likened the American presence in Iraq to Saddam's tyranny. Observers say most Iraqis welcomed the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam's iron rule, but anger is rising rapidly at what many see as foreign occupation.

Shiite Religious Leaders in Control of Najaf

In Nassiriyah in Southern Iraq, thousands of Shi'ite Muslims gathered for Friday prayers - thought to be the first time they were able to do so in the city since 1991. Rejoicing in their newfound freedom, they are fast filling the power vacuum left by the ouster of Saddam. Yet their opposition to a prolonged US presence on Iraqi soil appears uniform.

In Najaf Shi'ite Muslim religious leaders are running the Shiite-revered city without consulting U.S.-led forces still camped outside, a spokesman for the leader of one Shi'ite group said on Friday.

But U.S. troops on the outskirts of the southern Shi'ite city said they were in consultations with a retired Iraqi army colonel who had been appointed mayor and was presiding over a council of elders, including Shi'ite religious leaders.

The apparently contradictory statements highlight the disputes about who is in charge in many Iraqi cities -- including Baghdad -- following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

After Friday prayers, at a mosque in Baghdad where Shiite imam Abdel Aziz al-Hakim led the prayers, protesters gathered to call for an Islamic government and for the Americans to leave.

Rumsfeld Rejects Religious-led Rule in Iraq

Meanwhile news reports that Iran is seeking to influence the Shiites in Iraq are setting off alarm bells in Washington. Some fear their dominance of post-war Iraqi politics could lead to an Islamic theocracy like the one next door in Shi'ite-majority Iran. Addressing a Pentagon briefing in Washington Friday evening, Defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld said he understood the desire of the Iraqi people to see US forces leave as early as possible, claiming that THAT was Washington's view as well, but he added that the forces would remain as long as was necessary to ensure what he described as the freedom the people of Iraq now enjoy is not hijacked by any third party.

Just this week the US warned Iran not to try to destabilize the Shia community in Iraq; something it believes could interfere with Iraq's road to democracy.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Rumsfeld said: "If you're suggesting, how would we feel about an Iranian-type government with a few clerics running everything in the country, the answer is: That isn't going to happen."

He said the Iraqi people needed time to determine for themselves how to organize a new government and elections.

Mr. Rumsfeld's words contrasted with earlier comments by US President George Bush, who said it was up to the Iraqi people to decide who should rule them.

Myers Admits Invasion Forces Facing Resistance Pockets

Addressing the same Pentagon briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen Richard Myers said US forces were still facing pockets of resistance from Iraqis and what he called foreign elements, adding that his forces were dealing with these groups effectively.

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US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers (background)(AFP/File/Nicholas Roberts)