- Below is an email I have just received from my close
friend and translator Abu Talat. While he has fled Baghdad with his
family and is now a refugee in Syria, he recently had to return to
Baghdad in order to try to salvage what is left of his former life
(his car, belongings from his house, etc.) before returning back
to Syria. His note is instructive as to the current living conditions
in the capital city of Iraq. Here is the full text of his message:
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- Habibi Baghdad is a SMASHED cityno roads to drive onmost
of them are closed off by concrete obstacles with concertina wire.
In addition, the presence of the Iraqi military, who cover their
faces with black masks and hold their guns in such a way that when
you see them you will definitely be afraid that they will shoot you.
The shops in most of the area I went to see are closed. I asked one
of the shop owners I know, 55-year-old Abu Fadhil, since I heard
that his shop was robbed. I found his door closed and locked and he
was nowhere to be found.
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- Later, on my way to Sadr City, I found that two of the
three roads which lead all the way from south to north Baghdad are
either partially or totally closed in some places. You still remember
the highways in Baghdadwell now most of them are closed, or at least
fenced off with obstacles, yet they say there is some progress in
the security situation inside the city! Everyday two or three cars
explode across Baghdad, killing big numbers of civilians.
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- When I returned to my neighborhood of al-Adhamiya, I
couldn't get in unless the soldiers checked my ID and my car, even
though the guards are from the same neighborhood and they know me
personally. But they had to check it to ensure that no car bombs
might happen.
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- Nevertheless, daily mortars shell my neighborhood and
those are out of control, despite this concrete wall placed by the
Americans which now surrounds our neighborhood. Despite all that
they do, they cannot bring security to our small neighborhood.
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- Needless to say, Baghdad has been changed into THE CITY
OF GARBAGE. You can find it everywhere. You can smell the stench
of dead bodies wherever you go.
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- Talking of electricity, there is now only one hour daily.
That's it. From where we're staying in the city center, in Bab al-Muadham,
I can see from the balcony that people sleep nearly naked on their
rooftops because it is so hot and there is no electricity to run
fans or air conditioners. Thank God that there are two large generators
that maintain electricity in our building.
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- Everyday by 2-3 pm the buildings where we are staying
are closed so that noone can leave or enter. That way it is kept
secure, and this is how it remains until the next morning.
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- As far as my family life in this condition, we are as
though we are in jail from 2-3 pm until the second morning where
the doors are opened at 7 am.
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- My son goes to the hospital to work, but for the last
two days he finds it without any running water. [His son works in
Baghdad Medical City, the largest hospital in Iraq] For the last
2 weeks, as he told me, the hospital has been without any air conditioning
and almost without patients, although it's the biggest hospital in
Iraq. My sons wife, who is also a doctor, has to go to another hospital
just to try to assist since there is a drastic lack of Gynecologists.
She stays in her hospital for three days continuously before my son
picks her up with his car on the fourth day to bring her home, in
order to insure her safety so she doesn't have to take a bus or taxi.
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- As for my daughter, she has not passed out the doorway
of this apartment where we are staying for the last week except for
one time for some work she had to accomplish.
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- My wife left here only once, when she went to her job
(which she has been on leave from since we left to Syria) in order
to apply for a full year vacation. Thank God she got it.
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- As for me, I found my car ruined, so I had to repair
it. For that I called the mechanic to come to my home and repair
it, since I couldn't take the car to him since all the mechanics
shops are closed and there is no place to have a car repaired. All
of those shops are totally closed.
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- When I saw the mechanic he said, "We cannot live
anymore, and there is no job we can find."
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- Dahr, this short letter gives you just a glance of the
current situation in Baghdad. With the next letter I will tell you
some more.
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- http://dahrjamailiraq.com
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