1.   Punjab authorities have launched a crackdown against sectarian groups, arresting hundreds of known Islamic militants from both the Sunni and Shiite sects.

2.   A senior official says the government may ban the Shiite sect.

3.   A smaller Islamic sect known as Ismaili Muslims and a small Shiite sect led by Karim Khalili also joined the military alliance.

4.   A Yemeni chief from the Yam tribe said the clashes began after Saudi security forces stormed mosques in Najran belonging to Ismailis, an offshoot of the Shiite sect.

5.   Both are Muslim countries, but Pakistanis are mostly Sunni Muslims, while Iranians adhere to the rival Shiite sect.

6.   But in the past decade, several militant groups belonging to both Sunni and Shiite sects have sprung up and successive governments have been unable to curb their violence.

7.   Grand ayatollahs are the top clerics in the Shiite sect and carry great prestige.

8.   Hundreds of people have been killed in violent attacks between rival radical elements belonging to the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam.

9.   In addition, opposition spokesman Masood Khalili accused the Sunni Muslim Taliban of killing hundreds of civilians from the Shiite sect of Islam.

10.   Most Iranians belong to the Shiite sect of Islam, while most Saudis follow the mainstream Sunni sect.