1.   In the past, U.S. administrations have been wary of backing Shiite groups, because of their links to Iran.

2.   Shiite groups in the south of Iraq, some with ties to Saudi Arabia, some with ties to Iran, have proven politically impotent in the past.

3.   The groups that do conduct some military operations inside Iraq are Iranian-backed Shiite groups whose goals scarcely coincide with American interests.

4.   The most serious internal opposition to Saddam comes from Iranian-backed Shiite groups in southern Iraq, from which the United States keeps a healthy distance.

5.   The most serious internal opposition to Saddam Hussein comes from Iranian-backed Shiite groups in southern Iraq, from which the United States keeps a healthy distance.

6.   The terrorist attacks are believed to be carried out by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, or Party of God, a radical Shiite Islamic group in Lebanon.

7.   These include an influential Iranian-backed Islamic Shiite group.

8.   These include an influential Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group.

9.   U.S. prosecutors say Al Qaeda members got training from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite group in Lebanon skilled in making car bombs.

10.   Police blamed Sunni extremists, who accuse the mainly Shiite Muslim Iran of funding extremist Shiite groups in Pakistan.