BAGHDAD, Oct 13 (AFP) - Dozens of men lined up for the third day Wednesday to hand over their weapons at police stations in the Iraqi capital's Sadr City slums in line with an initiative by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr.
It was a scene of chaos at the drop-off centre at Al-Nasr police station as policemen argued with men carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and mortar launchers loaded inside big sacks.
Those bringing the weapons were demanding to be paid immediately, while policemen tried to explain that they would be given vouchers now and the money later in the afternoon.
"Forget this, I am going to go bury my weapons in my back yard if they do not give me cash right away," said a teenager as he walked away with a rifle.
Nonetheless it was busy inside as dozens of men swarmed around a policeman taking note of every weapon that was handed over.
Hamza Abdul Khalik, 21, who fought in Sadr's Mehdi Army militia against US forces, stood with two of his companions next to a stack of about 25 Kalashnikovs, three big bags of ammunition and two mortar launchers.
"The sayed (Sadr) ordered this," he said, using a religious term of respect.
A room at the Nasr station was already piled up with weapons and ammunition.
Most of the weapons collected there and at the nearby Al-Habibiya station, which was not accepting weapons Wednesday, were being transported by Iraqi national guardsmen to the larger Al-Jazayer station further away.
At Al-Jazayer cars filled with weapons in their trunks were lining up for the handover as Iraqi security forces kept the media at bay.
The weapons handover is expected to run until Friday, after which Iraqi forces backed by US troops will conduct searches and sweeps in Sadr City to verify the extent of disarmament.
The interim Iraqi government and US military hope the weapons handover can help bring lasting security and stability for Sadr City, which has been the scene of of-and-on violence for the past six months.
Despite the cautious optimism on all sides, a US military commander in the area warned Tuesday that some elements within the Sadr movement were against the peace initiative.