.jpg)
I have been asked by many westerner friends and readers so many times about the reality of the situation in Iraq and especially in Baghdad. Many are confused about the truth, many are manipulated by the media and most of them have the same question "is the situation good in Baghdad as we hear?" in fact not only the westerners ask about these things; I was talking with my father today and he asked me about the situation because he though it's very good (from what he hears in the news) and he was asking me "Should I come back? I can't take it anymore, I want to get back…It's very good now, right?"
So I though to clarify things in a detailed manner because I believe NO one can know or understand the situation in Baghdad unless he lives in it regardless if he was an Iraqi, Arabic or a westerner…I remember when I was in Amman for some time and despite that I was watching the news most of the time but I was so shocked when I got back in 2007, I couldn't stop crying when I was passing by a neighborhood after another and see what I didn't expect …I'm not saying that all the media organizations are lying or they are hiding the truth but I can strongly say that they don't have all the means to cover everything, they are under a very strong pressure from various sides and above all most of the people of the world are sick of hearing about Iraq and the disasters and death in it so I can't blame the media for this because after all it's business and they need viewers to keep their business going on so they have to give what the viewer wants.
Things got better! That's right; it got better but is it good yet or close to being good? No it's not...Is it close to normal, is there a hope for such thing? No it's far way from being normal and I can't see hope for such thing at least not in the 10 coming years…Is it violent? Yes it is…The worst period was between late 2006 to middle 2007; it was the bloodiest times for Iraqis so when comparing to those times the situation is less violent but please don't forget that at that time Baghdad was like a living hell, it feels like hell has broken loose…at those times when someone goes out of his home his family should consider he might not come back again but now his family can expect him to come back…Baghdad is still violent, there is a large count of daily civilians casualties, unidentified dead bodies, road side bombs, explosive cars, kidnapping and criminal acts and there is something I need to make clear that is the pattern of violence; between 2004 to 2008 violence was almost everywhere and everyone was a target but now the situation changed for many reasons that I'll mention later in this post.
I'll start with Adhamiya…Adhamiya is much much better, in fact I can say it's very good or that's what who is not from there feels when he enters it…you would see people and families walking in the streets with a wide smile on their faces, vast majority of the shops have reopened and there is a strong rebuilding movement and there are many shops that are being built, in fact there is even a mall being constructed and everything feels great but unfortunately that is not the case with the rest of Baghdad and unfortunately I don't live there and the sad truth is that not everyone knows what is happening behind the scene….I'll start with the reasons for which I think Adhamiya became like this; the first and the prime reason for this is the propaganda! Adhamiya was the stronghold of AlQaida and it was almost impossible for a US convoy to pass in a street there twice without being attacked…it was the pride of AlQaida and that made it the most important goal for the US troops because if they controlled Adhmaiya then they will show the world that they succeeded and the surge is working very well and they have won the fight with AlQaida, the Sunni insurgents, the resistance call it whatever you want…they wanted to show the world that they are doing great over there…they paid very generously for everything and they were so determined on keeping it like this…but what happens underground is not mentioned and even many of the residents of Adhamiya don't know about it…there are many criminal acts that are being carried out in Adhamiya and I strongly believe that high ranked officers in the Iraqi army and the awakening movement is involved in it but unfortunately I don't have enough evidences…for the past month only, there have been 6 to 8 kidnapping cases in Adhamiya and today I was going to Adhamiya when I noticed Iraqi army humvees surrounding a block near an Iraqi army checkpoint and the soldier in that checkpoint stopped me and asked me to open the trunk so I opened it but didn't got out of the car so he called me and said "Bro. when anyone stops you to check your trunk be sure to get out of the car and see what is he doing because how could you know that we haven't placed anything in your trunk? An explosive pack for example…(he continued searching)…sorry for bothering you but we have a kidnapping case" I thanked him for the good advice he gave me and I remembered what just happened the day before yesterday…a car exploded at about 4pm between the ministry of health and the Shiite entailment in Bab Al-Moaatham, it wasn't a suicide bomber, it wasn't a parked car; it was an innocent man who was driving his car when it exploded because of a sticky bomb and this is the newest way to carry on an explosion…this info. Was provided by a guard in the ministry and I saw the pieces of the car the next day in the area.
Now back to Adhamiya where there is an attack on the awakening or a road side bomb with a range of about every two or three days which is never mentioned anywhere…many of the road side bombs are found before they explode.
Regarding the sectarian violence in the form of campaigns I must say that it has much recessed but the targeting of specific individuals or figures is still unchanged and in my opinion this might be a temporary state and this is happening now (also in my opinion) because of the fierce persecution for AlMahdi army and the loss of many strongholds for AlQaida…so both of them are busy with the adaptation to the new situation and as soon as the resettle I fear they will start again just like the period at the beginning of the law forcing plan when the armed groups were in a waiting state to see what will come up.
So what I want to say is that things are good in few areas of Baghdad like Adhmaiya and Kathomia but unfortunately this is not the case in all Baghdad and one must not skip the fact that the people living in those areas must go elsewhere whether it was for studying, working or even buying or doing important errands…and about the majority of Baghdad things haven't changed much, and I was thinking that I might see it good but I strongly believe you would not if you came here…it's a bit less violent but it's still violent…still there are explosions and they are a lot, still there are kidnappings and they are more than the beginning of this year, still there are sectarian violence, still there are a lot of dead bodies.
I wish I was successful in giving you somehow a clear view of what is happening in Baghdad which has been abandoned even by the news.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
28 comments:
It doesn't sound like a good time for anybody to return to Baghdad. Your father is going to have to hang on in Jordan. I'm still wishing there was a way to get you out of there.
Would Iraq be better off if US just pulls out all its troops from there?
Mohammed, i think all of us are sad because of the situation of your country but at the same time we´re eager to get more info because as you say there is now very little in the news. The news just depending on the period of the war say "streets are deserted", "car bomb kills 50" or "markets are bustling" but we don´t know what is actually happening on the ground. It´s a great gift to have this blog.
What i´m hearing now is that as you say, areas controlled by the Awakening which are the safest in Iraq (and used to be the most violent because until last year they were controlled by insurgents and there were constant clashes and violence) are again seeing attacks. For the most part it´s difficult to know who is targeting whom.
In the province of Anbar, where US forces were suffering ZERO casualties a few months ago, there are now significant attacks, particularly the area of Fallujah is very dangerous now and there are several different insurgent groups operating there which is hard to stomach because some say Fallujah is the most heavily guarded town in the world. There are attacks on the police, the army, the US troops and the sahwa too. In fact the police commander in the city accused the sahwa of being infiltrated by al-Qaeda.
In other cities like Tikrit or Mosul the insurgents continue their attacks although at a much reduced rate compared to last year and much less effective. Anyway these guys aren´t going to be wiped out any time soon, they just need to lay low for a while like the Mehdi Army is doing and then come back and i think this is what happened in Fallujah.
In the end i think that if US forces are kept forever they will always be a source of tension and war. I believe that if US forces retreat right now, the government can handle the situation and come to terms with the Sahwa, the insurgents and the Mahdi Army - either negotiating or crushing those who refuse.
And believe me having a soldier on every corner may be good for security right now but on the long term it almost always results on dictatorship and coup.
BTW what is your opinion on the treaty being negotiated between the Americans and Iraq?
Mohammed, thanks for this post. There are some people that assume that just because they don't hear about the bad situation in Iraq, that everything is Ok. Thanks to people like yourself, we know that the absence of news is not the absence of events on the ground. Nevertheless, I am glad that things are slightly better in some parts, and I hope that the trend continues. We're all hoping that the disastrous sectarian violence does not re-emerge. Keep well.
Dr M,
Agreed, you have been abandoned by the news. We hardly hear a thing, unless it's on World News, which is on at 9.30pm.
Tell me, what are the Liberators doing to stem the flow of violence, if indeed they are not causing it themselves?
Who to trust? Yourself.
Thanks for the report. That is pretty much the impression I had from reading various blogs and news sites - better, but far from normal._________________ I think what you have is an insurgency that has degenerated into a crime wave. It cannot be surprising that Iraq has a very high level of crime and corruption when the country was ruled by criminals for decades. Criminal behavior becomes normal in such societies. Russia had the same problem after the collapse of Communism. Another big problem in Iraq is the high level of illiteracy, which makes many people useless for normal employment. There is a close link between illiteracy and violent crime. ____________ Maybe those capable Iraqis who are still living there could best help their country by teaching one or two people to read and write?
The situation is awful, and how sad that you have to contend with fewer bombs as a way of saying it's getting better. The truth is, it isn't, and I strongly believe this is the U.S. plan - ensure everyone in Iraq is too busy fighting each other to notice where the resources are being pumped out to. And the world watches and doesn't care. That's the worst truth of all.
I hope and pray that Iraq will again be the great country it once was.
LJM,
Yes, it's totally not safe and not a good time for anybody to come back.
Mockingbird,
That is something I believe no one can be sure about? If I agreed with the theory that the US and other countries are manipulating things behind the scene and they cause what is happening then if the US troops left they would continue what they are doing…if we abandoned that theory and imagine that US will leave Iraq then the violence might decrease…but let's be real and reasonable US will NEVER leave Iraq because I think no one still believes that they came to liberate Iraqis!! They will be here for god knows how long and even if the troops will not patrol the streets they will stay in Basis and continue to control everything…Why would they pay such huge amount of money and scarifies thousands of their soldiers? Is it for liberating Iraqis? of course not.
Anon,
I think it's totally not for the good of Iraqis.
Bruno,
That's right…many thinks like this.
Angel,
Yes you are right; the Iraqi can only trust himself.
Don Cox,
Your impression about the illiteracy is so wrong…vast majority of Iraqis can read and write and there are many Iraqis with diplomas and high studies unemployed.
Bashar,
My bro. be sharp when you copy my words…I never said it is getting better…I even said" is there a hope for such thing? No it is far way from being normal and I can't see hope for such thing at least not in the 10 coming years"
I said that it's good in some areas like in Adhamiya and Kathomia and I said why only those and I said that it's a bit better when comparing to late 2006 and early 2007 but it's far away from being normal or good or safe.
I was so clear…and I think you didn't read my post well, I think you scanned it in a hurry…If it was good and it's getting better then I would tell my father to come back!!!
That is a theory that I think about sometimes.
I really hope that too…I really do.
Dr. Mohammed:
I think you judge the Americans to harshly. We liberared Kuwait and we are gone now. I am sure there will come the time when you will see I am right. I certainly can understand why you feel as you do and wish I could help you to have faith.
I really appreciate your blog keeping us informed on the real conditions over there. I am glad things are starting to get better and pray that will continue. I think and certainly hope that your 10 years is not correct. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you look back on that guess in 2 or 3 years and realize that you were not optimistic enough.
I just want to add that what you did in your last post for Adil shows what a remarkable person you are! God will repay that kindness!! Stay safe my friend.
Joe
@Average American, 20 June 2008 2:27 AM
We liberared Kuwait and we are gone now.
Is it possible that you are so completely ignorant of the relevant facts? In Kuwait the US didn't build 14 massive new military bases.
I might add: the first Gulf War might have ended differently, had people around the world not seen in their newspapers and on their tv screens the appalling pictures of the carnage on the road to Basrah.
The US House of Representatives has approved more funding to pay for another year of fighting in Iraq and in Afghanistan. BBC 20 June 2008
In a 268-155 vote, the Democrat-held House agreed to provide the Pentagon with $162bn (£82bn).
But the bill did not include any timetables for withdrawing US troops from Iraq.
Your tax dollars at work. Your government wants Iraq's oil real bad. That is an obscene amount of money, all for bombing and shooting people in two other sovereign countries.
Didn't the Democrats promise to withdraw from Iraq? Nancy Pelosi is so owned by the Pentagon.
So-o-o-o, US$162bn for military adventures - and zip for the relief of the millions of innocent Iraqis displaced by those military adventures.
Meanwhile, in other news, Israel is practising an attack on Iran - using the arms and munitions that the US gives Israel free, gratis and for nothing - and Monsanto is trying to own the intellectual property rights on food production the entire world.
Do you Americans still not know why the world hates you?
Mohammad,
Thank you, in advance, for the straightest of perspectives you can possibly give. Every post helps. It helps me and friends of mine make very important decisions about who we will choose to make THE MOST IMPORTANT decisions for the U.S. and our foreign policy in November. I also want to comment on how proficient you are with the English language. I understand every thing you are saying. It comes across so loud and clear and true. Thank all of our Gods for such a revolution as the packet-switched internet of communication and thank you for having the initiative, strength and drive it takes to propel this blogging venture. We are all ears.
Indigo,
How nice of you to point out something no one has control over. I am sick and tired of "you" generalizations being thrown about so carelessly by authors of your type of commentary. "Do you Americans still not know why the world hates you?"
I am a citizen of the U.S. and I will vote on an absentee ballot for the next president. this is because i live abroad. I know positively that the intelligent population of "the world" does not "hate" American people (in general) except for people like you who do not allow people individual credit, one of the primary reasons people trying hard to study and negotiate for peace will never see their dream. Your government is NO BETTER. YOUR people.. the "citizens" of your residence country are NO BETTER than those of the United States of America. AND you are JUST AS POWERLESS to change your sick government politics, white-collar and blue-collar crime rates, wild government spending and any foreign policies you may disagree with along the way. LIKE MOST of us who have LIVED in the United States. "Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." (There is a citation for you) INTELLIGENT people hate no one they have NEVER met face-to-face. Period.
@Indigo
As an American I'd just like to say that I really don't care what the mass of ignorant, uneducated people of the world, like yourself, hate us.
Just go back to reading your little propaganda books.
"Your impression about the illiteracy is so wrong?vast majority of Iraqis can read and write"______My impression is that only around 75% of Iraqis are functionally literate, and the proportion is if anything going down. How could it be otherwise with the disturbances and destruction of schools over the past twenty years? Don't be in denial - it is a serious problem. Read about the lads who have been detained in large numbers on suspicion of terrorism. Most have no employable skills, so far as I can tell.
don cox,
You should attempt to solidify the foundation of your commentary with facts and less assumption on your part. Provide links to articles or documentaries to support your allegations or lay down this useless and insulting debate pertaining to the intelligence of the Iraqi population. Thank you, A Concerned "Westerner"
"useless and insulting debate pertaining to the intelligence of the Iraqi population."______ I said nothing at all about the intelligence of the Iraqi population. I am sure the IQ figures are the same in Iraq as they are anywhere else. What I am talking about is the problem of illiteracy and how it affects employment. I know there are also many qualified people unemployed too, but as the economy picks up, these will find jobs. There remains the strong link between illiteracy, unemployment and crime. You can hardly deny that the Iraqi schools have been disrupted by the troubles of the past two decades. There is no "insult" in this, nor is an insult intended. I'm not here to insult anyone._______ For comparison, I see that around 75% of the Afghan Army is illiterate. That country has a much bigger problem than Iraq. _______ I still say that there are more illiterate people in Iraq than there should be, that this makes recovery more difficult, and that helping one or two such people learn to read and write would help the country.
Thank God that IA soldier was cool to you, Dr. Mohammed. I hope soldiers like him become more common instead of the a-hole you had a few posts ago.
Average Joe, we did leave Kuwait, however we have a SOFA with them that has allowed us to use their land as staging and transit for Iraq. I don't hear too much about this impinging on their sovereignty though, and the Kuwaiti "Resistance" has not targeted Kuwaitis much nor tried to burn Kuwait to the ground because of the foreign forces on their territory.
Average American,
I wish that can happen that within the next 2 or 3 years I'll read this post and think to my self how wrong I was…I really wish that.
Indigo,
I agree that Gulf war was so different from this war…it's completely different and can't be compared…US wanted to get the Iraqi army out of Kuwait and by doing this they will have the picture of the new world liberator and at the same time build many army bases in one of the most strategic spots in the world…In Kuwait US troops didn't bring down the whole system in fact they wanted to get it back…but in Iraq their goal was to put the system down….and sometimes I like to think that Saddam took Orders from Bush to invade Kuwait so that what is happening now can happen, just a thought! And a possibility, nothing certain.
Anon,
Thank you very much and I'd like to add something…I think Rachel didn't mean that world hates the American people, I think she meant the American Administration or that's what I think because Americans like any other country or population…there are the good and the bad...
Don Cox,
Like anon. said where did you get that percentage from? If you mean the inmates in the prisons or the terrorists in jails then I will not suspect this because this is the case in all the world….do you think that prisoners in USA have a lower percentage of illiteracy? Who do you think will become a criminal or a terrorist? A Doctor or an engineer or someone with a diploma and employed? This might happen sometimes specially in terrorism cases because religion is used…Of course that will be the percentage in jails….and by the way during the past 20 years there weren't any destroyed schools…Saddam cared so much about education and specially the primary education…the Iraqi government built so so many schools at that period …it's compulsory for the parents to send their kids to schools, believe me I'm not just trying to debate you…that's the truth and even the people who hates Saddam so much that they wish to eat him alive will tell you that too….there were even special evening schools for the old people who can't read or write….but if you are talking about lack of skills then I'll tell you that there are many courses to teach the people without skills and they are free….they teach them car mechanics, wood works, electronics repair…etc.
Rhuslancia,
Yes I'm glad about that too…I become really happy when I meet a good Iraqi soldier…most of them who works in Adhamiya and it's surroundings are like this.
@RhusLancia, 22 June 22 2008 9:30 AM,
we did leave Kuwait, however we have a SOFA with them that has allowed us to use their land as staging and transit for Iraq. I don't hear too much about this impinging on their sovereignty though, and the Kuwaiti "Resistance" has not targeted Kuwaitis much nor tried to burn Kuwait to the ground because of the foreign forces on their territory.
You omitted to say that Kuwait still controls Kuwait's oil.
"Like anon. said where did you get that percentage from?"______ I have the problem that I read many blogs and other news sources about Iraq, and it isn't possible to keep track of where each bit of information came from. Wikipedia has a page listing countries by literacy rate, but Iraq is shown as Unknown. Do you have a reliable figure? Perhaps the Iraqi Ministry of Education has a site in Arabic which would give this. I am quite ready to believe that Saddam supported education, and that the illiteracy rate in Iraq is better than in, for instance, Egypt. But it needs to match that of Denmark or Ireland if you want a strong modern society.
Muhammad, thank you, once again, for getting us the facts.
Keep at it. America, all to easy, eats up the garbage for reality.
This "peace," is peace we laid down hard cash, weapons, and more for; in short, we bought it, as you stated, we paid handsomely for this.
dl
The word is out now that Abu Abed, the media-savvy leader of Baghdad awakenings, has fled to Jordan. All of a sudden he has become a "bad guy" so "the law applies to everybody" and the government tried to arrest him. He doesn´t where his family is and security forces broke into his house.
Do you know something more about this?Could this lead to fighting now between the Sahwa and the government plus the Americans?
To me it seems like an unacceptable betrayal that, after stabilizing and cleansing areas that the government could never control and that were constantly suffering from violence, the government will simply toss aside or imprison the Awakenings.
You said it, the Adhamiya sahwa was the greatest achievement in the whole war in the neighborhood. They are something of a private, uncontrolled militia but still the best option - in fact the only option to control some areas. They have saved countless American and Iraqi lives and broken off from their former insurgent coleagues.
Besides the sahwa themselves won´t let the government wipe out them without putting up a fight, they have weapons to defend themselves and can reignite the civil war the moment they want to, which would be disastrous for Iraq.
Remember all that crap about not having enough places in the security forces for the sahwa, they could only integrate 20% (in reality it has been about 3%) blahblahblah...just bullshit, the government has continued to recruit massively specially in the south and to arm itself to the teeth in preparation for future crackdowns. The sahwa are popular and have saved Iraq or at least parts of it. The government did nothing, killed its own citizens, dragged its feet and now that it feels strong wants to finish off the sahwa - ISN´T THIS A BETRAYAL??
Furthermore inside areas like Ameriya the government does not have even a single policeman...how the heck can they say that there isn´t room for the sahwa?The sahwa ARE the security forces in many areas and give much support in others, it´s impossible to go ahead without them.
Thanks for your valuable and well written post Abhoiya.
I too am glad that you met a good IA soldier recently (unlike the two jerks you met weeks ago.) I hope that the IA continues to improve.
Abhoiya Dr. Mohammed, how well do you think the IA did in Thawra (Sadr City), Basrah, Amarah, and Mosul?
Pundit, it was obvious from the start that the Awakening / CLC / Sahwa (whatever you want to call them) was only a temporary measure introduced by the Americans in an effort to stabilise one part of Iraq while dealing with others.
From the US perspective, these people are untrustworthy because they include large numbers of 'resistance' members, and I have no doubt that the more independent - minded of the Sahwa members have been listed and prepared for removal. Maliki of course can't stand and never has liked the Sahwa people, because he fears them as a challenge to his rule. (And he may even have a point).
Iraqi nationalists of every persuasion must draw together and unite for the future of Iraq. If Maliki and his friends manage to push through the "SOFA" agreement with the Americans, it will mean endless games like this, where one group is supported then dropped, and then supported again when the opposition gets too strong.
The US has masterfully exploited the sectarian divide up till now, and will continue to do so unless Iraqis do away with the sectarianism that plagues your land.
Now Iraqslogger says it is the sahwa office in Dora that has closed (it sais "the Abu Risha", maybe there are other sahwas in the neighborhood; in any case it says it´s "the most prominent" in the area).
So the situation seem that the govenment is preparing for a crackdown on the sahwa. If it happens on a bigger scale it would be simply unbelievable, this mistake would cost dearly.
Even if the sahwa after being disbanded don´t revert to the insurgency, they are the ones preventing the remaining insurgents from getting strong. They know their own areas and it´s extremely difficult for anybody to plant bombs or operate there without their consent, since they have a checkpoint every 100 meters and are always on the streets.
And watch for the new military campaign promised for Diala. I fear the government will try to disarm the notorious popular committees.
Truth Escapes Satans Grip
I had a dream.
I saw satan swimming slowly, languorously, smiling,
wafting down a river of blood.
More and more as he spread his blood drenched arms
across each bank, people murdered themselves
and murdered their neighbors.
Their blood poured out filling the river deeper and deeper,
and satan patiently, willfully, joyfully
screeched a hideous cry of encouragement.
The unwitting souls on the riverbank, stood
with their eyes firmly fixed on the heavens
spoke the name of God,
then committed self-murder,
and satans fingers, dripping blood, dragged their souls
into his hell bound torrent.
Occasionally a bright beam of truth
would shine upon one of the souls on the riverbank
and they would simply walk away.
And satan thrashed and screamed each time
as another soul escaped his grip.
Through Grace Peace
This must be related to the situation you´re reporting in Adhamiya.
http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/2008/06/news-of-day-for-sunday-june-29-2008.html
Women march during a rally demanding the release of the U.S.-backed Neighbourhood Patrol's leader and its five members who were arrested by the Iraqi army in northern Baghdad's Adhamiya district June 28, 2008. An Iraqi army officer said the army arrested five members of the Neighbourhood Patrol and their leader on Thursday in connection to the kidnapping of five civilians in Adhamiya.
It's been 10 days since the last post. I begin to worry. Perhaps there are many teeth to be pulled these days? At any rate, someone is approving the blog comments so M. must be safe. If the posts stop and the comments stop, then it is time to worry.
Post a Comment