Mr. Waite was seeking contact with Islamic Holy War, another militant Shiite organization, when he vanished.

Amal accused the Palestinians of starting the firing at the United Nations convoy, but a Palestinian spokesman blamed the Shiite organization.

They were first aligned with Palestinian terrorist groups but in recent years have maintained ties to radical Lebanese Shiite organizations, the Italian terrorism investigators said.

Inside Lebanon, important domestic forces like the Syrian-backed Hezbollah, the most powerful Shiite organization, have yet to commit to the goal of ending Syrian dominance.

It is part of Hezbollah, a fundamentalist Shiite organization armed, financed and supported by elements in Iran.

The fact that the British are in effect strengthening the hand of Shiite organizations is not lost on Basra's residents.

Muslim forces were Shiite organizations:

Looters still were roaming the grounds, and a Shiite religious organization based at nearby mosques moved in to provide some security.

The primary Shiite political organizations have tentatively agreed to integrate their paramilitary organizations into a new Iraqi army.

Shiite Stronghold The southern suburbs are strongholds for the Party of God and other Shiite organizations.