Baghdad Today

From my new friend Baraka, this article today from the BBC. Baraka is a lovely Pakistani-American woman who lives, in her own words, in TMBCOE. She and I know which city that is.

I'm posting an excerpt (as did she) which provided a small ray of hope. The balance of the article is much more troubling.

Then the killings had started in Tobji, a small mixed Shia and Sunni neighbourhood on Baghdad's north-western outskirts.

First a Sunni, then a Shia, then another Sunni and so on. All shot dead by unknown men who arrived at night by car.

But, rather than allow the murders to divide the community, Falah and his neighbours decided to act. They formed a special guard deliberately made up of both Shias and Sunnis and sealed their neighbourhood off from the outside world.

'And now all the killings have stopped,' Falah said, breaking into a huge grin.

Each of the guards has a piece of yellow card pinned to his chest, reading: 'Our loyalty is to God and country. We don't belong to any party. We are the eyes for the people's safety.'