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War Every Day (eIraq Blog)
Cautious celebration as blast walls come down

Jeff Severns Guntzel, Electronic Iraq

Oct 10, 2008

The New York Times has a complicated story of hope and fear on its front page today. On its face, the story about the disassembling of security barriers in neighborhoods hit hard by the sectarian violence of recent years would seem to serve the "surge" evangelists. Which would be fine if it meant that Baghdad was finally safe for its residents.

But a few paragraphs down there is this:

In dozens of interviews across Baghdad, it is evident that while open hostilities have calmed, beneath the surface many Sunnis and Shiites continue to harbor deep mistrust.

If the changes work as hoped, it will be a huge step toward restoring normal life in Baghdad. Each move, however, has its pitfalls. Awakening members could return to insurgent activity. Bombers could take advantage of streets without walls. The National Police, long accused of being sectarian, could abuse its new positions.

A little bit further down, there is this from two Iraqis:

A nearby square on Kifah Street was the scene of a huge car bomb that killed 140 people in April 2007. It serves as a bus terminal, where buses are still barricaded behind blast walls. A billboard depicts a collage of photos of drivers killed in the bombing. “If you see my photo, say a prayer for me,” reads the caption.

Here, opinion about the walls was divided. Haider Falah, an Awakening guard, shrugged off past clashes between those in Abu Saifeen and Fadhil.

“We are all Iraqis,” he said.

But Alaa Hadi, 28, a watermelon seller, lost his brother in an earlier bombing that killed 137 people and destroyed much of the market. Fearing outsiders, he is against any walls coming down.

“Those who tell you they are not worried are lying, trust me,” he said. “Look around you. We do not know who at this very moment might be amongst us preparing to blow themselves up.”