Shi'ite says it's time to withdraw troops:

"Chief lieutenant of ad-Sadr, Imam Amer al Hussani, said on Monday the coalition forces should immediately withdraw and return Iraq to local control.

'The Saddam regime (is) gone and ... we know how to control our country,' Imam al Hussani told ABC Radio through an interpreter. 'To be here as occupiers, they are not welcome here.'

Imam al Hussani had a message for Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

'We hope that Australia will follow Spain in their decision to withdraw from Iraq,' he said. 'But we should also say that we thank very much Australia for helping us and, through your TV, we want to tell the Australian prime minister that thank you for your help, but please withdraw from Iraq.' "