Recent account of life in Baghdad

At a time when the media attention is focused on events in the Lebanon let us not forget the ongoing and dreadful situation in Iraq where around a hundred people die every day. Basic services like water and electricity have still not been restored and yet smirking western politicians like Gordon Brown say, “Ah, but Iraq is now a democracy” or as Naomi Klein would put it “Die, now, vote later”.

There is little clean water or air conditioning in temperatures of 48°C (118°F) and no security with incessant car bombings and kidnappings. According to Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for International Development, there are 1.3 million people internally displaced in Iraq. (As quoted by The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published figures in June 2006) – add to this the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees in neighbouring Syria and Jordan and you have a humanitarian catastrophe.

Incredibly Tony Blair’s envoy to Iraq Ann Clwyd MP maintains that `things get better day by day` - well maybe in the fantasy world of the Green Zone they do but in the `red zone ` where real people live it’s a bit different.
I know an Iraqi refugee who I have called `Rasha` (to protect her identity) and here is her short account of the current situation in Baghdad.



From `Rasha` in Baghdad

My dear friends :

I have been in Baghdad since three weeks ,it looks not three weeks but it looks like years .the situation is so bad .No safe at all .
Baghdad looks like graveyard of hell the US milityry close all the streets no cares pass through ..no one can go from city to city in Baghdad even no people go to work for 4 or 5 days the tanks every where and the police cares in every front of street and the fear in all eyes from the USA militry and the police also from the killers and the thieves ..the weather is too hot my skine is burn and hurt me so much because of the sun and the hot .the killing every were it's the real hell .before 5 days three women kidnapped in front of the people and no one helped them in AlKarada ,I heard the people talked about the kidnappers how they took the girl to the care holding guns .and how they were sorry that they couldn't help also there were police care near the accedent but they are also scare to help what kind of freedom or dimocratice that Bosh gave to Iraq or the midle east .
Baghdad is like hell in the day and the darck in the night no electrice no good water .every thing is expensive more than you imagin .(it is like Death Valey in US maybe wores )
I don't know how the people can stand all that the government by supporting the Congress of USA killing the Iraqies slowlly way .many children killed by the weather and the pooverty .and no Ciyrosin (oil) for cares The taxi took more the 10 Dolars to pick one to 10 Miles it is horoble situation here .
Love and peace
Rasha


Report with spelling and grammar corrected

My dear friends:
I have been in Baghdad for three weeks, it looks not three weeks but it looks like years .the situation is so bad .Not safe at all.
Baghdad looks like graveyard of hell the US military close all the streets no cars pass through. No-one can go from city to city in Baghdad even no people go to work for 4 or 5 days, the tanks are everywhere and the police cars in every front of street and the fear in all eyes from the USA military and the police, also from the killers and the thieves. The weather is too hot my skin is burnt and hurts me so much because of the sun and the heat. The killing is everywhere - it's the real hell. Before 5 days three women were kidnapped in front of the people and no-one helped them in Al Karada, I heard the people talk about the kidnappers and how they took the girl to the car holding guns and how they were sorry that they couldn't help also there were police car near the accident but they are also scared to help. What kind of freedom or democracy is it that Bush gave to Iraq or the Middle East?
Baghdad is like hell in the day and the dark in the night no electricity and no good water - every thing is expensive more than you imagine. (It is like Death Valley in US maybe worse)
I don't know how the people can stand all that the government by supporting the Congress of USA killing the Iraqis slowly way - many children killed by the weather and the poverty and no Kerosene (oil) for cars The taxi took more than 10 Dollars to pick one to 10 Miles it is horrible situation here.
Love and peace
Rasha




Here are a couple of recent news reports from Iraq.

From Al Jazeera

Thursday 17th August 2006:

A series of attacks across Iraq have left several people dead and dozens injured as the country's prime minister says that Iraqi troops can handle the violence without US army support.
The most deadly attack was a car bombing that killed at least two people in Sadr City, a mainly Shia area of Baghdad, on Thursday morning.
The explosion tore through a crowded market and wounded as many as 26 people, Iraq police said. Some reports put the toll at seven.


From Reuters:

Saturday 19th August 2006

The Iraqi defence ministry has ordered all vehicles off the streets of Baghdad indefinitely.
On Friday, the Iraqi government announced a two-day vehicle ban in areas around a shrine in Khadimiya in northern Baghdad, fearing a possible attack on Shia pilgrims gathering on Saturday to mark the death of an 8th-century imam.
But the prime minister's office and defence ministry said on Saturday that the ban would now cover the whole of Baghdad and would last indefinitely.
Ibrahim Shaker, the defence ministry spokesman, said: "All vehicles are banned in Baghdad indefinitely." He said that the vehicle curfew had started at 9pm (1700 GMT) on Friday.
Shia pilgrimage
Shia religious festivals attract many thousands of people and have been frequent targets of attack.
Seven pilgrims walking to Khadimiya were shot dead by gunmen in a car in the al-Adel district on Friday night. Car bomb attacks are also a frequent occurrence in Baghdad.

Nearly 1,000 Shia pilgrims were killed in a stampede during last year's ceremony, when a crowd heading towards the shrine was panicked by rumours of a suicide bomber.

It was the greatest loss of Iraqi life in a single incident since the US invasion of 2003.

This weekend Shia pilgrims will gather at the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim to mark his death in 799.






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