Writing in the London Independent, Robert Fisk says the U.S. occupation of Iraq will become untenable if the Shiite uprising continues.

Fisk writes, “The Americans can scarcely contain the Sunni Muslim revolt to the north; they cannot fight another community, this one representing 60 percent of Iraqis.”

Middle East analyst Juan Cole said, “So far, about 60% of clashes with Coalition troops had occurred in the Sunni heartland of Iraq. But the violent clashes in Najaf, Baghdad, Amara and Nasiriyah may signal the beginning of a second phase, in which the US faces a two-front war, against both Sunni radicals in the center-north and Shiite militias in the South.” The worst violence Sunday was in the city of Kufa near the Shiite holy city of Najaf and in the section of Baghdad known as Sadr City. In Kufa, at least 22 people died and as many as 200 were injured in a three-hour gun battle that began when followers of Sadr and Spanish troops exchanged gun fire. The dead included at least 20 Iraqis, one American and one Salvadoran. In Sadr City, seven U.S. troops were killed, as well as 28 Iraqis. Thousands more followers of Sadr protested in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and Basra.

The BBC reported the clashes marked the most serious confrontation to date between the occupation forces and members of Iraq’s Shiite majority.