“ A few hours later, the gunmen reminded Baghdad that they could still strike, irrespective of US-imposed exclusion zones. A loud explosion echoed over the rooftops when a mortar bomb landed outside the Sheraton Hotel. Scores of US soldiers piled into their armoured cars near Firdus Square and set off to hunt for more men dressed in black.”—The Telegraph

“The men dressed in black” is a sarcastic remark to ridicule US forces who apprehend unarmed civilians to show that they are succeeding in their pursuit of ‘terrorists'. The “men in black” are Shiah worshippers attending a Shiah festival. They are randomly arrested because the Shi'ite cleric, Sadr's men also dress in black. Paranoia has driven US forces to believe that every man dressed in black is an ‘insurgent' of Sadr.