Thursday, April 20, 2006

Real Time in Adhamiya

Zeyad at Healing Iraq provides a first hand account of recent fighting in the Baghdad where he was trapped in a relative's house.

The Adhamiya battle in a nutshell: Iraqi security forces from the Interior ministry (some believe to be accompanied by militiamen) attempted to enter Adhamiya from the Raghiba Khatoun area around 1 am, Monday. Adhamiya residents and its dozens of watch teams responded with heavy fire and thwarted the perceived attack.

The same, or another, force later attempted to enter from the other side through Omar bin Abdul Aziz Street. The attack was repelled and several vehicles were burnt. 7 to 12 residents were killed in the clash....

Tuesday, 6:45 am: a speeding vehicle drove by and fired a few shots at a lethargic National Guard unit near the corner of Omar bin Abdul Aziz and Siham Al-Mitwali streets. The unit responded with a rabid barrage of Douchka and PKC fire, damaging several stores and hitting the nearby Al-Anbia' mosque. The mosque guards snuck to Dhubat Street from back alleys, took positions on a 3-floor building and started taking potshots at the National Guards at the intersection of Omar and Dhubat streets. Other watch teams thought it was another attack, and by 8 am the whole district erupted into an inferno of machine gun fire. Amidst the chaotic firefight, we could make out the familiar buzz of an American unmanned surveillance plane in the air....

"Please refrain from firing at the mosque. Does a house of Allah have no sanctity to you?" a haughty voice was broadcasting from the Al-Anbia' mosque loudspeakers to the National Guards. "You are supposed to restore order. Cease fire immediately or face the consequences. He who has warned is henceforth excused."

The message only served to provoke heavier fire from both sides.

American Humvees entered Adhamiya and returned fire at everything that moved. The fire was random now and at 1 pm the situation had calmed down again....

Zeyad's account is more coherent than the official word in yesterday's Washington Post which presents conflicting, confused interpretations. Zeyad includes aerial photos maps that delineate the scope of the action.

I note that when the Americans arrived, they opened up on everything that moved. No doubt this is a good strategy in the middle of deadly chaos but not something that adds much to the quality of life in the neighborhood. Notice, too, that the Iraqi National Guard responded to potshots with a rabid barrage. We have made them in our own image.

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