Shia leader Ali-al Sistani says he cannot stop Iraq civil war.

The most influential moderate Shia leader in Iraq has abandoned attempts to restrain his followers, admitting that there is nothing he can do to prevent the country sliding towards civil war.

Aides say Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is angry and disappointed that Shias are ignoring his calls for calm and are switching their allegiance in their thousands to more militant groups which promise protection from Sunni violence and revenge for attacks.

"I will not be a political leader any more," he told aides. "I am only happy to receive questions about religious matters."

It is a devastating blow to the remaining hopes for a peaceful solution in Iraq and spells trouble for British forces, who are based in and around the Shia stronghold of Basra.

The cleric is regarded as the most important Shia religious leader in Iraq and has been a moderating influence since the invasion of 2003. He ended the fighting in Najaf between Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi army and American forces in 2004 and was instrumental in persuading the Shia factions to fight the 2005 elections under the single banner of the United Alliance.

One more mooring breaks loose as the S.S. Iraq begins its drift towards destruction on the rocks of religious hatred.

And what can the United States do at this point to put the brakes on this situation? Not a damn thing. All we can do is get our soldiers out of the country to provide support for those fleeing across the border to escape the escalating violence. We started a fire that we cannot put out, and it will destroy everything in it's path.