Unpaid Iraqi soldiers start receiving salaries, but discontent simmers

[LauraK]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. civil administrator for Iraq L. Paul Bremer said that some soldiers of the dismantled Iraqi army started receiving salaries Tuesday, but an Iraqi sergeant warns that discontent still simmers among the defeated troops.

The Iraqi soldiers were dismissed from the armed forces in May by Bremer and have received no wages for four months.

The longer he and his former colleagues go unpaid, the more dangerous the situation will become for the U.S. troops, says Zgair.

"Under the circumstances that I, and thousands of others like me are facing, don't you think it is natural that we would seek revenge?" he asks.

Zgair's wife and kids
Correspondents in Baghdad have reported that the situation in the Iraqi capital is tense due to the presence of about 250,000 demobilized soldiers and bandits.

But at a news conference Tuesday, Bremer said that the administration is taking steps to beef up security in the country.
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