Rocked by a spate of deadly suicide bombings, the US-led coalition has thrown up concrete fortifications all over the Iraqi capital, infuriating Baghdadis who say they feel as though they are living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"Welcome to the West Bank on the Tigris," has become the standard greeting for visitors to central Baghdad's Al-Tashree neighborhood, which has been completely fenced in by the US forces who have their headquarters nearby.
A narrow corridor between concrete barriers leads into the neighborhood, at the entrance to which sits a US Abrams tank, where the American troops have set up a checkpoint.
Cars and pedestrians are thoroughly searched by an Iraqi police officer, under the watchful eye of a young American soldier whose hands seldom leave his assault rifle.
An eerie silence hangs over the 5km2 enclave, sealed off by 3m-high and 50cm-thick concrete walls.
The Americans erected the barrier after setting up their headquarters in the nearby palace, used by former president Saddam Hussein before his April 9 ouster.
"First it was concrete blocks, and then the barrier grew at the same time as the number of attacks increased. Since the attack on the UN offices, the wall surrounds us," says Uday Walid, referring to the August 19 car bombing that killed UN top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.
Walid, a 22-year-old engineer who has lived near the palace since 1987, says he had "never experienced these kinds of restrictions, even under the bloody dictator."
Here, the curfew lasts from 9:00pm to 6:00am, compared to between midnight and 4:00am in the rest of the Iraqi capital.
"There's no more social life, and going to work or school is a daily challenge," says Walid.
At the Al-Quadessiyah primary school, barely half the teachers and pupils show up for classes.
"On days when there are demonstrations in front of the palace gates, soldiers forbid us from entering or leaving the neighborhood," says Umm Saleh, 49.
As her husband waited an hour to drive through the military checkpoint, Saleh and her 18-year-old daughter, Dina, opted to save time and walk the kilometer (half mile) home.
"We are held captive. The Israelis surround Palestinians by a wall in the West Bank. Their mentors, the Americans, do the same in Baghdad," she says.
"Even workers won't venture out here. There has been no garbage collection or draining of septic tanks since September," she adds, pointing to heaps of garbage in the street.
Walls dot the Baghdad landscape -- outside hotels, embassies and political party offices.
Many residents believe these measures draw attention rather than reduce the security risk. They also complain that the walls are bad for business.
"Business has fallen 50 percent; the measures bother our clients and partners and prevent deliveries in front of our stores," says Mohammed Ali al-Kinani, manager of Bahrain, a plastic wares company.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the