Joy and fear as US exits Iraqi cities

Joy and fear as US exits Iraqi cities
By Ernesto Londoño in Baghdad
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: June 29 2009 18:22 | Last updated: June 30 2009 08:48
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f0cc9f9e-64ce-11de-a13f-00144feabdc0.html


Iraqi soldiers on parade in Baghdad during a ceremony in which US forces handed over power
According to Nouri al-Maliki, the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq’s cities, set to be completed on Tuesday, will be a turning point for the country. The Iraqi prime minister has called for nationwide celebrations, which began on Monday night in Baghdad.

But across the country the US military’s withdrawal is being viewed with a mix of apprehension, pride and incredulity.

“I will celebrate when I see my country living in peace,” said Salah al-Jbory, a tribal leader in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of Dora, where no US outposts remain.

“I will celebrate when there is electricity and clean water; when people go to the park and feel safe. I’ll celebrate when kids on the street look clean and are wearing new clothes. I will celebrate when people can earn a living.”

In remarks calling the withdrawal of US troops on Monday a “great victory” for Iraqis, Mr Maliki has shown no hint of deference to the thousands of US lives lost in Iraq, and the billions of US tax dollars spent there.

Many Iraqis speak about the US’s dwarfing presence in Iraq in apocalyptic terms, but the public statements by government officials in recent days appear to have emboldened Iraqis like never before to rail against what many still call “occupation forces”.

US soldiers have been thinning out across Baghdad and other restive cities in recent months. They have shut down dozens of inner-city bases and, in the months ahead, will seek to become as inconspicuous as possible in urban areas.

During the first days of July, in an effort to comply with the security agreement that set strict pull-out dates, US soldiers in, and near, urban areas anticipate being on lockdown.

Some Iraqis have described the date as an independence day of sorts.

“The 30th of June will be like a wedding,” said Major General Abdel Amir al-Zaidi, commander of the Iraqi army’s 11th Division, currently in the northern city of Kirkuk.

“It is a victory for all Iraqis, a national holiday.”

Not everyone shares that sentiment. Violence has increased in recent days as insurgents have sought to make such calls for jubilation seem like hubris.

A string of bombs last week, including powerful ones in Kirkuk and the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, killed more than 200 people.

“We are not happy now,” said Abu Noor, a college student standing outside a market in Ur in north-east Baghdad.

“Why should we be happy? We know that things will turn upside down after maybe a week of the withdrawal. We all know that the militias are hiding because they know the Americans are inside the cities and are ready to be there at a moment’s notice.”

Many Iraqis have come to regard the US troops in their neighbourhoods as a necessary evil. Their hulking trucks often tear down wires, bog down traffic and jam mobile phone signals. But those indignities are a small price to pay, according to Mr Noor.

“They’re trivial when you compare it to the importance of security,” he said.

Miles away, in a central Baghdad district where attacks remain frequent, Ala Abdul Majid, a national police officer, stands under a small bunker-turned-checkpoint, watching cars pass during a recent sweltering afternoon.

“Iraqis are able to handle the job,” he said, brimming with confidence, pausing before adding: “At least 80, 90 per cent.”

He was happy to see the US forces fade into the background. It was time. But he believed that they had done more good than bad, providing the Iraqi security forces with uniforms, spare parts for cars and generators for police stations.

If speculation about an increase in attacks after on Tuesday proved true, he said, Iraqis would do their best with what they had.

“We don’t have equipment; no radios,” he said, suddenly less optimistic. “If someone came here at night and killed us, no one would know about it.”

A bombing in downtown Mosul on Monday killed 10 people. A US soldier was killed in combat on Sunday, the military said, in one of the most recent of a near-daily string of attacks on US forces.

Anticipating a wave of attacks during this transition period, Iraqi soldiers and policemen were out in full strength across the country on Monday. Lines at checkpoints were longer as policemen conducted more thorough searches.

At a celebration in Baghdad’s Zahra Park, one of the largest in the country, revellers sang songs popular during the war between Iraq and Iran in 1980. “To the front lines we go,” they sang. “Our bullets in our magazines.”

Then, bobbing their heads in unison and spraying water from bottles at the crowd, they began chanting: “America has left! Baghdad is victorious!”