The "quietist" cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has told followers (who number in the many millions) that it is permissible to kill American troops in Iraq. This is being reported by AP. THie gist of the report says that Sistani, who met Prime Minister Maliki in Najaf yesterday, issued the fatwas "verbally and in private" to a "handful of people." He is considering a public call for "jihad" against the U.S. occupation, and he is opposed to the disarming of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. Write AP reporters Hamza Hendawi and Qassim Abdul-Zahra from Iraq:

In the past, al-Sistani has avoided answering even abstract questions on whether fighting the U.S. presence in Iraq is allowed by Islam. Such questions sent to his Web site — which he uses to respond to followers' queries — have been ignored. All visitors to his office who had asked the question received a vague response.

The subtle shift could point to his growing impatience with the continued American presence more than five years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Then there is this, more ominous note:

A longtime official at al-Sistani's office in Najaf would not deny or confirm the edicts issued in private, but hinted that a publicized call for jihad may come later.

"(Al-Sistani) rejects the American presence," he told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to media. "He believes they (the Americans) will at the end pay a heavy price for the damage they inflicted on Iraq."

And finally, this, on Sadr:

In perhaps another sign of al-Sistani's hardened position, he has opposed disarming the Mahdi Army as demanded by al-Maliki, according to Shiite officials close to the cleric.

Disarming the Mahdi Army would — in the views of many Shiites — leave them vulnerable to attacks by armed Sunni factions that are steadily gaining strength after joining the U.S. military fight against al-Qaida.