Baghdad's Walls Return

by RAY FLEMING
IT has taken only nine weeks for the reality of Iraq's security situation to show itself. On 30 June, by prior agreement, US troops were withdrawn from the streets of Baghdad and other cities, leaving Iraq security forces to keep the peace. One of the first signs of a return to normal life was the removal of the walls that had divided communities during three years of near-civil war in Iraq. At that time areas that had once been cosmopolitan in character, with families of different religions living peacefully together, suddenly changed and barriers had to be put up to keep people who had once been friends apart. The disappearance of those walls in recent months has been a sign of hope for the people of Iraq but now, following the huge explosions of two weeks ago, they are being restored. The minister in charge of security General Quassem Atta has claimed, “Raising our readiness does not mean our work has failed. It just means it is evolving.” Ordinary citizens of Baghdad will think differently. They have been enjoying free movement and shops and cafes open until late at night but once again the depressing blanket of security precautions is being spread over the city. The question that no one dares to ask, of course, is whether one day prime minister al-Maliki, just four months away from a general election, will have to ask the American forces to return to the streets.