Q&A: Life in Iraq
Iraq is now the second most unstable country in the world, outranked in that category only by Sudan, according to an annual survey conducted by Foreign Policy magazine.
But what is daily life really like in Iraq for American troops, civilians and the reporters who cover them? Damien Cave and other members of The Timesâs Baghdad bureau answered readersâ questions the week of June 17.
47 comments so far...
- 1.
How are basic things like a daily commute affected by all the bombings and military obstruction?
â Posted by Nick (Cincinnati)
- 2.
The daily commute in Baghdad has become extremely difficult. Ever since the new security plan began in February, already long lines at checkpoints have grown to epic proportions, snaking as far as the eye can see in many neighborhoods and especially near bridge crossings.
At the same time, there have been new complications. In recent weeks, several important bridges have been bombed around Baghdad and up north near Kirkuk, in what appears to be an effort to isolate communities and keep people from interacting across sects, ethnicities or tribes.
Some roads that were once busy thoroughfares are also now front lines of block-by-block wars. Shiites in Kadhimiya, on the western edge of the Tigris River, report that the road abutting the water is a kill zone, where snipers on the opposite bank, in Sunni Adhamiya, fire at passing cars. As a result, people avoid the road and take slower back roads (or drive really fast and pray, as one Iraqi told me.)
One other complication of the commute for some: choosing a taxi driver. Many Iraqis have little linguistic tricks to try and find out whether their driver is of the same sect, and if he isnât, the customer is more likely to get out before his or her intended destination, just in case the driver has nefarious intentions. Others have a routine of disguising their destinations by varying their routes from home to work to prevent against ambushes or kidnappings. Itâs just another sign of the paranoia and fear that many Iraqis live with every day.
The result of all of this is that many people now never leave their neighborhoods.
â Posted by Damien Cave
- 3.
How do civilians feel about the American troops?
Are civilians able to leave the Iraq safely?
Do reporters dress in the local attire?
Do civilians treat female soldiers differently than male soldiers?â Posted by Vaishali Nayak
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