NAJAF, Iraq (AP) Political and religious authorities in the Shiite holy cities south of Baghdad had demanded from the start of the U.S.-led occupation that Marines in the region keep a low profile and stay away from sacred Muslim shrines.

Both sides were proud of the peace that prevailed as a result.

No U.S. Marine has been killed in Iraq since April 12, despite the force having taken control of a huge area in the south-central part of the country. By comparison, there have been 68 combat deaths among American soldiers in the rest of the country, primarily in Baghdad.[...]

Many Iraqis, including some in the U.S.-picked Governing Council, have taken to blaming the Americans for having done too little to prevent the bombing. Such accusations apparently ignore that U.S. Marines were kept well back from the holy sites on the demands of Shiite leaders.

''Our soldiers understand the sensitivities,'' U.S. military spokesman Lt. Guy Shields said Saturday. ''Throughout the conduct of the war, we were avoiding going near the shrines and mosques.''

Even Ahmad Chalabi, a Governing Council member and favorite of the Pentagon for a top role in Iraq, took a swipe at the American occupation operation.

''I don't hold the American forces responsible for the al-Hakim assassination,'' he told Al-Jazeera television shortly after the bombing. ''But I hold the coalition forces responsible for security in Iraq. The Americans have taken responsibility for security in Iraq, and I appeal to them to keep the peace.''

However, it's clear Iraqi officials in Najaf both civilian and religious that the American troops were handcuffed to a degree by being kept away from the very places they were blamed for failing to secure.

On Sunday, the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority said Najaf Gov. Haider Mehadi asked the FBI to join Iraqi police in the investigation.