So, we've got a problem with Muqtada al-Sadr and his thugs using the holiest shrine in Shia Islam as an armory and a safe haven for staging attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces. The simplest solution is to make the shrine a parking lot, but that wouldn't go over too well with the shiites -- a majority of the Iraqi people.

What to do?

Clear out all the civilians. Give the thugs the opportunity to lay down their arms and surrender. Then...

Drop a couple of neutron bombs near the shrine. Make sure the compound is outside the blast radius, but within the area for lethal doses of radiation.

The Shrine still stands. Bad guys are dead. The radiation quickly dissipates.

Of course, the threat of its use may be enough too.