US Finishes Baghdad Wall Despite Iraqi Wishes

By Cernig

On "Mission Accomplished Now Be Loyal Or We'll Declare You A Traitor" Day, it's worth noting that the infamous Adhamiya wall in Baghdad has become a symbol of American dominance over a supposedly sovereign Iraq.

From The Telegraph:

American forces have completed construction of a concrete wall around the Baghdad district of Adhamiya despite protests from the Iraqi prime minister and local residents who claim that they are now at the mercy of militants.

The wall was intended to help control the activities of militants in the predominantly Sunni Muslim district. But it remains a bastion of extremist al-Qa'eda linked groups. Parts of the district are so thick with armed militants that they are no-go zones to coalition forces.

Capt Mohammad Jasim, an Iraqi soldier manning a checkpoint on the Adhamiya bridge, said: "The Americans did not listen to us. We think this wall has made the area inside the wall more dangerous for people.

Um Doraid, a middle-aged housewife, said: "We here inside the wall are still as vulnerable as ever."

It looks like the US military have gathered local artists to pretty up the various blast walls in Baghdad, in an obvious attempt to make them look less imposingly prison-like and totalitarian. The artists have chosen scenes symbolic of freedom and the ability to roam at will.

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