But this city of 200,000 has become a test of the Americans' ability to extend their control to restive regions of Iraq.

Otherwise, the Sunni Triangle will continue to be a fertile breeding ground for insurgents and a restive region.

A1 The White House criticized Moscow for its "provocative" plan to send troops to seven restive Soviet regions.

The American military has in recent days begun several large-scale military operations in an attempt to quiet the more restive regions, to permit a greater turnout at the polls.

Ingushetia is one of Russia's poorest and most restive regions.

"The Russian leadership has goals reaching far beyond Chechnya," including the cowing of other restive Russian regions.

He cited Anbar Province, the restive western region long dominated by Sunni insurgents, as one example.

Mohnyin Thado spent his 12-year reign keeping restive regions of Ava in one piece.

They are fleeing as Baghdad's forces reassert control over the restive Kurdish region in the troubled aftermath of Iraq's defeat in the Persian Gulf war.

However, Pakistani forces have struggled to maintain control over the restive tribal regions along the Afghan border, where Taliban-linked militants became firmly entrenched.