The Financial Times reports:

A week after a vicious firefight in the streets of Samarra, in which US forces claim to have killed 54 guerrilla fighters, it was unclear yesterday who really controlled the town.

At the one remaining US military compound in the city, US soldiers yesterday refused to leave their sand-bagged bunkers to meet a western visitor at the gate. “It’s dangerous here! Go away!” yelled one. Two other such US compounds within Samarra have been vacated in the past three weeks.

US-paid Iraqi troops of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) have not entered the town since one of their number was killed on Saturday, shot by enraged mourners after his squad crossed paths with a funeral procession for a man slain in last week’s shoot-out. …

At the police headquarters in Samarra yesterday, many high-ranking officers openly expressed sympathy for the anti-coalition guerrillas, speaking on the condition that they not be named. “The whole town rejects the occupation, and we work to serve the citizens,” said one. [Emphasis added]

FU, meet BAR. BAR, meet FU.

Oh, hello FUBAR.