neurotic Iraqi wife

So Bush claimed that Iraq hasnt slipped into civil war...Hmmmm and a big Hmmm too. What does he call whats happening right now then??? A game of Hide and seek??? Or maybe its a practice tournament for a "real" civil war. Who is he kidding or trying to kid??? His own people??? The world??? Is he trying to insult my intelligence, or yours or the worlds??? When will he, the generals, the Iraqi govt come down from their high horses and admit that Iraq has become a state of choas eaten up by the sectarian plague. When?

Ask anyone here, anyone, and they will tell you this IS a civil war. Ask a 5 year old kid and he would know exactly what you mean by the word sectarian, something I only learnt when I was in my twenties. The bombings in Sadr city what do you call that??? The burning of sunni people, what do you call that??? The ethinc cleansing taking place in all parts of Baghdad, what do you call that??? The name killing, what do you call that??? Mr Bush, spare me the BS, and for once, once in your life say something truthful. Listen to what the real Iraqis are saying, what the ordinary average Iraqis are saying and not what the corrupt govt is claiming. How can you believe in people who came to power by using fatwas and religeon to their advantage??? How can you believe in people whose allegiance is with the countries that sustain these killings??? It will be interesting to see what will go on tomorrow in the summit held between Maliki and Bush. I wander what storytelling will come out of it.

Iraq is in Civil war, wanna believe it or not, it is happening. If Bush doesnt believe it, then how can he be practical in making decisions that affect the 26 million people living here??? He brought on the Iraqi Study Group, which does not include a single Iraqi person. How can you solve a problem without knowing its roots??? Take the example of a deaf elderly man, who can barely talk. Falls unconscious in the middle of the desert. Some bedoins gather around him and take him to the nearest tent. Wakes up and the guy has amnesia, how will the person looking after him give him medication without having anyone that knows him, knows of his medical history??? The people that bought him in would have no clue, they will be hopeless. They may come up with their own analysis, like oh he probably had a sun stroke, he may just need some rest, or he was too thirsty give him some water, or he walked too much and from exhaustion he fell. When in reality, the guy may have been diabetic and no one would know...End result without his proper medication he will just die.

I know its a lame example, but thats the best I can do after working for more than 14 hours today. But you get my point??? The 2003 war was painted a rosy picture before it took place by people who rarely lived in Iraq. By people who left Iraq under Saddam's regime and fled to neighbouring countries or to the US or UK. Look what happened then, instead of the roses that was promised to be thrown on the forces, stones were being hailed. And ofcourse death, death upon the Iraqis themselves and death upon the forces. Now you bring a study group that is made up of Americans, whats the point??? You willing to do the same mistakes AGAIN??? You gonna put the Iraqi blood in jeopardy AGAIN???

This is a war of misinformation, just like I described in a previous post. Bring on the good news, bring on the bad news, bring on the metrics. Same is happening for the umteenth time. I dunno why its so difficult to utter the words "civil war" and "its happening". Are they waiting for Iraq to disappear and then wake up one day from their la la land and say "oh what happened? where did all the Iraqis go???" Is that what theyre waiting for??? Cuz if thats the case then wave good bye to my country.

My country that has been eaten up by the plague. By the plague that has many masks. Militias claiming to protect their shrines, gangs claiming to protect their religeon, resistance claiming to fight for their beseiged leader, forces claiming to shoot the resistance, foreign fighters waging their "jihad" war. Masks upon masks, yet the end result is one. The end result is the obliteration of the innocent Iraqi human. The eradication of the innocent Iraqi blood. They all have become draculas, draculas feeding on the Iraqi blood.

Yes, my country, the greatest country Iraq, has been eaten up by the plague. Whereas mr Bush stands infront of hundreds, thousands and even millions denying to put a name to that plague, that plague that has swallowed thousands of lives already. Hundreds of thousands of lives gone, gone just like that and there remain only the draculas. The Draculas of Iraq...

They said Thursday was the deadliest day in Iraq. Let me correct this statement. Thursday was one OF the deadliest days in Iraq and if we think this is bad, and there cant be anything worse, believe me things WILL get even worse. Maliki's government proved to the world they are puppets to the militias. In my opinion, I think all the cabinet and ministers should step down, step down and leave that darn chair.

Martial law should be put in place, and a strong military guy comes in. No militias, no Sadrists, no Badrists, no Islamists. A pure Military persona that leads with an iron fist. Gets rid of the cancer that has been created. Its beyond any persons imagination how an Iraqi, can kill another Iraqi by pouring Kerosene and burn him alive because he is Sunni. Its beyond any persons imagination how an Iraqi, can kill hundreds of Iraqis in one day because they are Shias.

We have become savages. The lid has opened and so many cockroaches and spiders crawled out of the can. I wish it was that easy. Even the coackroaches and Spiders can get killed by using an insecticide. Question is, how can you get rid of these militias and Terrorists that overtook my country??? And people say we are under occupation. Yes we are under occupation but not by the coalition forces, we are under Militia occupation. Do you hear me??? Wake up and smell the roses, oh sorry there are no roses in Iraq anymore, I should say Wake up and smell the dead carnage. Dont you dare say to me that we are occupied by these forces. State your facts clearly. WE ARE UNDER MILITIA/TERRORIST OCCUPATION...OK???

I never liked Bush, infact I loathe him for what he did to my country, but at the same time, I loathe Sadr and Hakeem, Dhari and Bin Laden. Oh and let me not leave out the greatest criminal of all, Saddam!!! The man who created all this mayhem. The man who was behind all this. And yet he is the only safe Iraqi in this country. I loathe everyone that did this to Iraq, every single one. I loathe the whole government for not standing up for the Iraqis. They just care of themselves and their own personal agendas. The tortured bodies that are found everyday dumped on the streets of Baghdad is similar and probably worse than the days of Saddam. Im ashamed, Im ashamed of that darn purple finger. Im ashamed of the day millions of Iraqis went out of their way and voted, risked their lives and voted, Voted in hope to get their saviour, instead they voted for their OWN KILLERS.

The State of Mullas and Militias, thats what Iraq has become. And you tell me occupied. Im gonna say this once and for all to all those who keep saying we are under occupation. YES we are under occupation by the peasants and the IGNORANT people that think just like you. If the forces leave just like what you want, then watch all the gardens and backyards turn into morgues. MORGUES FILLED WITH YOUR OWN PEOPLE!!!Oh I forgot, You dont give a damn shit, cuz you call yourselves Patriots!!! Patriots my A**.

If the forces leave, watch how Hakeem will give the South to Iran on a silver plate, watch how the Kurds will take the North, they deserve it, I mean after all, they atleast are united towards building their own state. Oh and let me not forget Baghdad, Baghdad will be the rogue state, that of Militias, Dharists and Bin Ladens. Yeah hell why not let the forces leave, we dont need them, we have everything under control. Oh let them leave, we are sooooo ready to takeover now. So ready!!! Whats another million Iraqi getting killed??? Its just another statistic on a piece of paper....Damn you, damn everyone who calls themself a Patriot and a nationalist. You are no where near the true meaning of these words. No where near!!! What BULLSHIT!!!

The only people that have lost here are the innocent Iraqis. They are the only victims in this game. And they will continue to be victims, until all those criminals get eradicated from the face of the earth... I repeat and say Im ashamed, Im ashamed of that day. Im ashamed of that day I voted and made my voice heard. Im ashamed of that Purple finger I proudly exhibited...Im Ashamed of that darn Purple Finger, that Pitiful Purple Finger...

I really had big dreams. Dreams of the amazing reconstruction efforts we kept hearing about when the war was taking place. Hopes of the biggest project in histroy, the biggest project of rebuilding Iraq. I used to always envy HUBBY when he was here before me. Asking him questions on a daily basis. AT first you could hear the excitement dripping in his voice. Especially when I used to nag him all the time to come back to me so we can live a normal married life. With every conversation, he would say "I am doing something good, Im finally doing something good for my people". A few months later, and the excitement started to disappear slightly and the conversation would end with "Im having a bad time trying to convince people of how things should be done here. No one is listening to me, no one wants to know right from wrong"

A year later, I joined him and again the same thing. I would get asked by family and friends how things are going. At first I used to say, yeah things are great, its a surreal feeling to be back here, taking part in this historic moment of rebuilding my country. Fast forward and here I am mocking at the billions of dollars that was spent. As for the tasks we get, thats just a joke. A year ago it was, give us all the good news. We just want good news, give us pictures with children, as if to say, lets show the world what we have accomplished so far. Yeah you accomplished alot, a beautifully built clinic amidst the sewage filled neighbourhood. An amazing construction of a border fort amidst the chaos of the incoming foreign fighters that bomb themselves within the crowds of innocent children.

A few months before I left, the tasks have changed. Give us all the bad news, give us all the issues going on in the projects. We dont want good stories anymore. We want bad news. And sure enough, the bad news filled our reports, one after the other, an ongoing story. A clinic was bombed, reason: reports suggest it was an insurgent attack, another report found that it was one of the sub sub sub sub sub sub SUB contractors that wasnt getting paid bombed the nearly complete clinic. Now, the need has changed. We want metrics, they demand. METRICS. How many Iraqi people did this project employ. How many students are gonna benefit from these pink painted walls. How many patients are gonna be treated in these immaculate clinics. How many lives have we saved. Give us metrics. We want Metrics.

And here I am, sitting in utter amazement. Do the generals here, truely believe that the reconstruction efforts are going well??? Do they really??? Or Have they lost touch with reality??? I think they have. Either that or they truely believe that the billions of dollars spent here went for a good cause. I have to admit, the good intention is there. Has always been there, but the reality factor of saving a country from civil destruction by continuing to pump money instead of a political solution is ZERO, ZILCH. And no Im not being ungrateful, I am just stating a fact that many are either blind to see or deaf to hear.

Dont spend more on reconstruction, spend more on rebuilding the person. The Iraqi person. The Iraqi human. Take away his fear by reinforcing laws and rules. Get rid of the current government that proved to the Iraqis and the world where its allegiance is with. Invest in building lives rather than concrete structures. Do what you preach and live by your words "Winning the Hearts and Minds". Instead of the billions lost on concrete and foundations, spend the rest by helping people get on their feet. HUBBY once said, if all the money that was spent here was distributed amongst the Iraqi families in a fair manner, you will never see an insurgent on the street. You will not hear of stories like "such and such militia paid so and so a $100 just to kill someone for no reason". People wouldnt be in need to do such things. People wouldnt be in need to survive.

An answer to a comment I keep getting on my blog "You and your husband are encouraging the Occupying forces in destroying your own country, in killing your own people." Hmm, my husband and I are encouraging the "occupying" forces because we work here??? We are encouraging the bloodshed because we are here???Lol. So if HUBBY and I leave, all Iraq's problems will get resolved??? If you can guarantee this to me, Believe me, we will leave this second.....That comment which was also sent as an email, made me laugh. And laugh out loudly, if you wanna know.

We may have lost hope in the actual recon efforts, but I believe we have touched lives. Iraqi lives. We have touched them not by building a school or renovating a hospital. No, all that doesnt mean a thing to me or them. We have touched them on a personal level, on a more human level by doing the simplest of things. It probably didnt even cost us a dime. But the end result is a smile, a beautiful hard to find smile. And thats what matters the most. A word of encouragement, a pat on the shoulder. A push towards having ambitions. It didnt cost HUBBY and I a thing, but it made our hearts flutter when we see the sparkle come alive again in those sad sad eyes, or the beautiful smile on that pale exhausted face.

You ask me, why am I here. That is why I am here. Not to rebuild a water tank, or pump more oil, or renovate a railway station. I am here to touch lives, to try and make a difference. And you know what the difference is between people like HUBBY and I and people who came here to "rebuild "eyerak""??? The difference is, we do it from the heart. We do it from here, from the organ that keeps us alive. We dont do it because our government forces us to, we dont do it cuz we have a deadline and a budget to stick by. We dont do it because we will get critisized and crushed by our people and our media. No. We do it because we LOVE to do it. We do it because we WANT to do it. Thats the difference. It is the true meaning of this mission. The Lost Mission of Winning Hearts and Minds...

Footnote: I received an email from a friend of mine asking me if I knew any Iraqi (Women only) interested in studying and working for 6 months in the US as part of the MEPI Legal and Business Fellowship Program . PLease go to amideast.org and find out more.

In the middle of broad day light, 150 Iraqis were kidnapped!!! One hundred and fifty!!! And you tell me, let there be hope??? What hope are you talking about??? Eighty dressed as police men, entered the institution and kidnapped them...And you tell me a society??? What society are you talking about???

Whoever did this has a plan, a plan for obliterating the Iraqi minds, the Iraqi brains, the educated level of Iraq. This is no small thing, this is not a bytheway, hey guess what happened today in Iraq...No this is something big, something huge. This is a catastrophe. The shocking news sent ripples of shivers among my Iraqi colleagues. Why they kept asking. Why? A question that no one knows the answer to. Its one of those impossible formulae that you can never find a solution to. WHY?

I ask you, where was the government at this time? The government, was giving out chairs. Reshuffling their goddamn cabinet. What a bloody joke. You're a Shia, take this, youre a Sunni take that. They dont even look at the person's background/qualifications anymore, infact I dont think they ever did. They just look at your sect and hand you a position. Just like kids, here you're 5 so you probably like playdo, and youre 11 so you will definitely like xbox.

And now that the Democrats won the elections, everyone is asking of their fate. What is gonna happen to Iraq, people ask. People have become even more worried. I think the elections were more popular than Saddam's sentencing. The US elections was like the defining moment of Iraq's future. I asked my colleagues what they thought about it. Many were worried. If the Americans pull out now and leave us amid this chaos, we are all dead. We wont even be able to get jobs elsewhere, we will be seen as the "traitors" the "collaborators". If the Americans leave, Iraqis will eat each other, literally eat each other. If the Americans leave us now, there wont be an Iraq left on the face of the earth.

Its a mayhem out here. A mayhem. Its one of those horror movies that keep you on your toes 24/7. Forget horror movies, its a nightmare that no one, and I mean no one sees an end to...They want to eradicate all those who have minds that think. They want a country that has no laws except one, that of killing, that of revenge. They want a dark dark country. A cold dark country with no windows to the world but only one window, a window of broken dreams, of broken hopes. A window of no ambition. They want to turn all the lights off and make it pitch black. They want lifeless bodies hovering the streets, lifeless bodies all in black. Lifeless bodies choking up the smoke from the burnt greens and date trees. Lifeless bodies falling one by one onto the ground, for they lost everything. Most importantly they lost their dreams. Their dreams that was a door to their hope. But even those 2 words, dreams and hope has become forbidden in the country of darkness.

The country of Iraq. Or what was once known as Iraq. A black spot on one of those rotating globes. Your son will come and ask you, mommy, whats this black dot here? And he points to was once upon a time, the cradle of civilization. What was once the land between the 2 rivers. Am I exxagerating??? Im smiling sarcastically at you and tell you, I wish I was. Im seeing my own country die everyday. Its dying slowly. Even those who used to laugh and joke, had stopped. Its not in me said A. I dont wanna live, he said. I dont wanna live like this for the rest of my life. Besides, what Life am I talking about, I dont even have that!!!

Im gonna leave it at that. I dont have it in me to continue. Not today. For, yesterday I was gonna lose HUBBY for good. Yesterday I was a frantic wife, stuck in this shitty place not knowing whether HUBBY was dead or alive. Was like someone who went crazy kept dialling his number, kept trying to catch him on SKYPE, but nothing. Tears of hopelessness and fear of the unknown trickled down my cheeks. I swore at him within myself for putting me in this situation. I swore until I managed to get through to him. And then Relief. It was yet again a close call. Closer than you think. One person did die. An Arab expat. Killed. I tell you, I wouldnt ever want even my worst enemy to go through what I went through last night. Never.

I dont like this place anymore, and Im trying, Im trying as much as I can to tell HUBBY to leave. The yearning I had a few years ago for my country has gone forever. This is not the country that my parents talked to me about. This is definitely not the place they felt nostalgic for. No. This isnt the place. Right now all I see is darkness...And a black dot...A black dot on the World Globe...

I havent been in a good mood the past week. Not sure if its a-because of the stiff neck I aquired last Friday which seems to be adamant in not going away, b- the yucky brown tar/coffee stains I discovered a few days ago on my front teeth, my front teeth people, the ones that are mostly exposed to the public (hence no more smiling until that whitening formula arrives), c- the fact that I havent seen HUBBY since last friday, d- my favourate cigarette pouch stolen, e- my British passport. Heck I think its all the above....

I hear you wander what does my passport have anything to do with it. Well, easy, although I am an Iraqi by birth, born in Baghdad, of 100% Iraqi parents, speak the language as fluently as anyone who lived here all their life, I am still seen as an outsider...I started realising that the more the situation worsens in the red zone, the more hmm, whats the word, the more my colleagues eye me differently.

One situation which sparked these weird feelings was when recently, some of my Iraqi colleagues were going to the dfac to have their breakfast and they got turned away. The guard told them "Sorry, No Iraqis are allowed to eat here anymore". They came back to the office fuming, and I dont blame them. I wasnt aware of the situation until I heard the loud commotion that was taking place at the back. I went to check what was happening and I was told the news. I became so angry and disgusted, and me being me, the expert in demonstrations back in London, I immediately told them, Ok cmon bring the cardboards, we will write our slogans and stand infront of the dfac demonstrating. They all stared at me and one person said "But these new rules do not apply to you, you are an expat, you can eat there anytime, its only for us, us the Iraqis...." I cannot, and I really mean CANNOT describe to you how I felt that minute. The pain felt just like a knife stabbing my heart a million times.

Someone from the back said, she is Iraqi, but I just walked off... I did have a few muffins that I collect everymorning from the dfac incase I get hungry during the day, which I handed out to those who wanted something to eat. The dfac saga was resolved 20 minutes later, thank God and the management apologised for the discomfort it caused. But I still remember the tone of voice, the anger, that strange look of the eyes. I dont think I can ever forget that moment. Ever. From that point on, I realised that no matter how much I try to be one of "them" I will always be seen as an outsider. Always...

I was pretty upset that day, and spoke to HUBBY about it, who asked me "Do you blame them???You ARE an expat, whether you like it or not. You ARE British, whether you like it or not. You ARE living in the comforts of the Green Zone whether you like it or not. And most of all, YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF LEAVING, whether you like it or not. So dont blame them, and dont take it personally, its human nature. Its their situation. Its the terrible situation they are forced to endure on a daily basis. Dont get upset, dont get mad. Put yourself in their shoes, and think about how YOU would feel, if someone came prancing in, an Iraqi, just like you, but an Iraqi with privelages. You would feel just like them. And probably more.

What HUBBY said did make sense, but the fact still, pained me. Im considered a non Iraqi by my Iraqi colleagues, and am considered a third country national by my US colleagues....Hallelujah. Arent I just lucky...Call me an Alien while youre at it why dont you.

And the last stroke, was the brown stains I discovered on my teeth while brushing them one morning. The fright it gave ME, so imagine the fright it gives to strangers I smile at. OMG, I never knew that turning thirty would bring about all these things. In December Im gonna turn 32 and HUBBY keeps telling me, wait till you get to 40 and see what happens to the nuts and bolts that either turn loose or fall apart...Hmmm....Not a good sign.

Anyhow, Im trying to make light of my alien situation here. Oh and before I end this post, I wanna congratulate everyone on the resignation of Rumsfield. I never liked that man. Although it came too little too late, but better still. Hope the dems wont screw the situation as it is already screwed enough here.

So as for now, am an alien, Im a legal alien, am an Iraqi-Brit walking in the Green Zone....Im an Alien...Im an Alien in my OWN Country....

Im gonna keep this very short, as I just got back from work, and my bed seems too enticing to miss. The verdict: Death penalty by hanging...Am I jumping up and down with Joy??? Nope, infact Im disappointed. Im very disappointed. I didnt want the death penalty. I wanted him to get life imprisonment and rot in a 1 by 1 cell. I wanted his pride to be broken. I wanted him to live to the day were he will see a better Iraq. Whatever remaining years he had, I wanted him to live them in fear, in solitude, in despair....

He got away, way too easy... Way way too easy... With just a pull of a rope, he will be gone, but the mothers, the orphans, the fathers, the sons, everyone, everyone who lost their dear and beloved will never forget him nor forgive him...Never...

To suffer in a tiny cubicle of a cell, with no toilet, no clean water, no good food is what he was supposed to get...Exactly like what he used to give...To say I want him tortured is an understatement. No International Court of Law will allow what I have in my mind for that criminal...Hanging him is a great great pity...

If it makes all those he tortured happy and satisfied then yes, I will be glad too. If it makes all those mothers that lost their sons smile, then yes I will smile too. If it makes all the kids he orphaned have hope again, then yes I will have hope too...But Only If....

I dont know much of the reaction of the Iraqis cuz none of them came to work. The Iraqi expats, the 3 that are left with me, including WOB didnt care much about the verdict. I just sat there with my headset, watching the Alarbiya channel on the net with disbelief...

Heard a few gunshots, some say are celebratory, others say the big hammering will come after the curfew...Thats all I have to say, Im disappointed, really disappointed. The end of an era has come with a pull of a rope... He got away with an easy life, and will get away with an easy death, with his damn pride intact...What a shame!!! But I guess that era is gone...Saddam's Era gone forever. Yet his followers are still alive and are still killing!!! I say Good riddance, but you got away too easy... Easy Life, Easy Death!!!

Yup, the hammering has started. Its 1040pm, and I can hear very loud shots fired in the air (maybe they are celebrating prematurely). Five minutes ago, I heard what sounded like a mortar outside the GZ. Tomorrow is the big day. Its Saddam's Trial Verdict. Although I feel the tension abit exxagerated, still people are very nervous.

At around 330pm today, a rumour of a curfew in Baghdad and other cities started going around the office. By 4 pm, it was confirmed and all the Iraqis scurried home. As they were leaving, I said please be careful and stay safe, they turned to me and said "NO, YOU be Careful". For whatever the verdict will be, whether the death sentence, which I doubt very much, we as in people in the GZ will get hammered by his loyalists, and if it isnt the death sentence then we will still get hammered by those who want him dead!!! Both ways, the GZ will see fireworks tomorrow. Although I have a slight feeling that the verdict will get postponed. Lets wait and see...

When I asked my Iraqi colleagues what they hope for, some shrugged and said we dont care anymore, this is all a game. Others said, even if the death penalty will be passed, do you really think they will kill him???No way...And some said, well they probably will pass life imprisonment but kill him anyways. Its all a game, its all a game, thats what many people think here...One actually said, do you really think I care whether Saddam gets killed or not??? Thats the least of my worries!!!

So lets wait and see...Tomorrow is the day alot of Iraqis are waiting for, there's a saying in Iraqi "loo hara, loo wara" Not sure how to translate it literally, but it means something like it will either get bad or worse...

Since today is our half day off, I managed to convince HUBBY to take me around so I can take some pictures and videos for the blog. A year or so back, taking pics wasnt a big deal, but now as the situation is worsening, videos and photographs arent allowed in many places. There were incidents were Iraqis would take pictures of other Iraqis in the GZ and then threaten them with it.

I hope this will give you a little idea of how it is here. But by the way, Umm, I dont think I will ever be a good journalist, so please dont be too critical, Im just an amateur...

Below is just Twalls, proves to you how boring and grey life in the Green Zone is. I was supposedly giving commentry in the background, but umm my voice was gone with the wind...As you will see, the mopeds have become very popular here. The Palmtrees look dry and the green is calling out for water!!!



This next video is of the new US embassy being built...Supposedly the largest in the world and HUBBY is sharing the commentary with us here,lol


Court Saddam being tried in:


This is Prosperity Palace, HUBBY is doing me a favour by holding the cam,lol. The beautiful Dome of the Prosperity Palace was hit during the war, and 3 years later, no one fixed it.



These are the Statues of Saddam, Then HUBBY warned me of the no photography sign, ooops


This last video is again of the Twalls, and Al Rasheed hotel from afar. I wasnt so sure if what HUBBY was saying about the tomb of the unknown soldier was correct, hence I was just mumbling after him.



Hope you enjoyed these videos. I took some photos but will keep that for another day. These are some of The Sights and Sounds of the Green Zone...

Two hours back the GZ was targeted. HUBBY and I decided to have food to go from my dfac and sit outside since the weather is rather nice. As we began to eat, I was looking out straight, when all of a sudden I saw something hit a building and BOOOOOOM. Flares of fire began to errupt. An Orange light, lit up the sky and the loudspeakers told us to take cover. At the same time, the muathin's in the GZ mosques started to say their prayers.

HUBBY pulled me into the bunker, I kept telling him no, but he wouldnt listen. I have to say, that my first thought was my workplace was hit. We later found out where the rocket landed, and for security reasons, I cant say much. So far we heard of no casualties, thank god, but one person was injured from the shrapnel. Thats all I can say for now...

You can see as the all clear was given out, people went out of their safety places, with faces ashen. But after awhile, everything went back to normal. If people think that the gz is a safe haven, then think twice. Its definitely the safest place in Baghdad, theres no doubt, but its also a target... Its true we have those depressing twalls, and the loads of checkpoints, but if a rocket knows its target, then it cant go wrong... No Twall can stop it and no checkpoint guard can control it. This is how it is here in Iraq. No one is safe. No one is immune.