#Atom RSS FOAF Inside Iraq « World Peace Day 21 September | Main | How to be in Dora neighborhood » September 23, 2008 Traffic Jam Again For several months Baghdadi residents had got relief from car bombs which cause death and chaos in our capital. That thing didn't last as we had six car bombs within the last seven days in Baghdad alone. Thus, the security plan which started about twenty months ago had failed to end the roadside bombs, mortars, assassinations and at least car bombs. Yesterday we had two car bombs, one in Karrada neighborhood and the other one in Jamiaa neighborhood. As a result we witnessed today terrible traffic jams in Baghdad check points. For me I was stuck in a terrible long queue of cars on Jadiriya bridge, one of the important bridges in Baghdad that links its west bank with the east one, due to the three check points on it. There were five lanes of cars on that bridge while the Iraqi police check point allow one lane to pass without checking the cars nor carrying any device to tell that they are searching to prevent car bombs to detonate in Karrada neighborhood or any other place in Baghdad. All the people were furious as they wasted their time waiting at the check point of no use. For me, I spent one hour waiting in the taxi to have the car move 500 meters. Time wasn't with me. I phoned my local manager to tell him that I would be a liitle bit late for the morning meeting. He surprised me that he is on the bridge, too. Also two of our bureau drivers were on the bridge. I decided to leave the taxi and walked to the office. Eventually, I arrived ten minutes late, but I was the first even before the manager and the two drivers who were riding their own cars. People keep asking of the real benefits of having so many check points all over Baghdad with the violence starts again to show up these days after a period of freezing which didn't last long. Is this a kind of pressure message to the government? Or is something bigger than that? Is it related to the military operations in Diyala and Mosul? The Iraqi people and especially Baghdad is fed up with promises by officials and security commanders of the improving of the security situation. Millions of students in schools and universities started their new studying year this week which will add more traffic in Baghdad and more targets for the car bombs. If the check points lessen the car bombs, we are happy with them. Instead, we have soldiers and policemen who wave for the cars to move like traffic policemen who are useless. Posted at 10:05 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451c64169e2010534c8694 5970c Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Traffic Jam Again: Comments What good do the checkpoints do? If violence is rising, aren't traffic jams like this more dangerous for everyone, not less? I would think that a fast traffic flow would be better for avoiding possible violence. Also, I'm wondering, are all these checkpoints the fault or idea of Americans or the Iraqi police? My condolences to you that you have to live like this. this would drive anyone else crazy. I hope the violence goes back down again soon! Posted by: Shelly T. | September 26, 2008 at 10:15 AM This is a response to your poem on world peace day. I hope you can be blessed by peace in baghdad and all iraq. You are in a terrible situation that I cannot even imagine where i live in manhattan. But peace does exist today, you must believe, even if not in iraq. inshallah, iraq can experience peace, at least as much as we have in ny, in your land, which is the land my father was born. in america we do have peace. in europe, japan and much of the world the people live without bombings and political violence. each has crime and death, but we are allowed at least to be able to walk the streets without fear. that you live in baghdad is to live in the depths of the world's violence right now. i applaud your govt's passage of an elections law and hope that iraq can rebuild itself and become a land admired and valued by the whole world. Posted by: Adrian | September 24, 2008 at 08:02 PM This is the first "Inside Iraq" post that I've read so please excuse my ignorance of the basic issues in Iraq at the moment. I found your blog via a blog by Irfan Yusuf here in Australia. I have a question in response to the post: are the Iraqi government and people ready now to take responsibility for the delays and bombings if the multinational force (US) begins an orderly pull-out of major combat forces now or will the presence of ANY US forces at all give radicals an excuse for the continual bombings on an increasing level? Posted by: Martin | September 24, 2008 at 06:40 AM Verify your Comment Previewing your Comment Posted by: | This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted. Post Edit Working... Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been posted. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments. Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate. 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Name: ______________________________ Email address: ______________________________ URL: ______________________________ Comment: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Submit [icon_rss.gif] ABOUT THIS BLOG "Inside Iraq" is a blog updated by Iraqi journalists working for McClatchy Newspapers. They are based in Baghdad and outlying provinces. These are firsthand accounts of their experiences. Their complete names are withheld for security purposes. 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