West Baghdad Walls Cause Murders To Plunge

Barriers Dividing Warring Neighborhoods Cause Homicides To Drop From 275 Per Week To 10

(CBS)  Six months ago, it was an al Qaeda paradise of murder and misery — Wild West Baghdad.

Col. J.B. Burton has the job of protecting 1 million people there.

His soldiers put down miles of concrete barriers along highways and community entrances to block carloads of al Qaeda thugs from attacking neighborhoods here called "mulhallas."

"Well they were just getting off the highway, and then exiting the highway back into these mulhallas, where they can prosecute their campaign of terror," Col. Burton said.

If good fences can make good neighbors, then in Baghdad, good walls can help make safer neighborhoods. Across West Baghdad, since these walls were put in place last November, the homicide rate has dropped from 275 a week to just ten a week.

It sounds like progress. Good news. Something everyone could agree on.

But not in Baghdad, which is more and more becoming walled off like a medieval city.

In an area called Adamiyah, a new wall will separate warring neighborhoods, one Sunni Muslim, the other Shia. The area is so dangerous that U.S. troops can build the wall only at night. The wall is 12 feet high, three miles long.

Not all residents are pleased with the addition.

“It never will keep us safe,” says Quammer Al-Jabbi, an Adamiyah resident.

Al-Jabbi worries she'll be trapped in her Adamiyah neighborhood — with all the terrorists already dug in there.

"When I go inside my home, I never think that I will go out."

In West Baghdad, where the walls are lower, and people feel safer, most accept the disruption.

One resident says through a translator, “Thank you. Thank you for God.”

"All of this stuff is meant to be temporary in nature, until the security situation is to a level that is acceptable to the people of Iraq," says Col. Burton.

But security is nowhere near acceptable. So walls here are everywhere and the city is more divided than ever.

[funkiwiteboy]

Yesterday I had the privlidge of speaking to an Army Vet., the man was about 25 yrs. old. Said he was a hum-v gunner while in Araq so he got to see a lot of action. I shook his hand and told him I was glad he made it back. Then asked his opinion on whether the US should still be there doing what they've been doing and trying to do. He looked me in the eye and said, " at first we thought we were doing some good, but not any more", he said "Those folks have been fighting and killing each other for thousands of years, and we'll never get em to stop, no matter how many of US die."
I can only agree. If not for the vast oil reserves they'd be like Africa and Mexico. There was something about that in Revelation, lakes under the sand...
Anyhow, with my limited knowledge of our righteous place in the Directors plans,
I still vote;
Bring our troops home now!!! Lord hep US please.
And give our leaders reasons to follow Your truths.

[toolmangler-2009]

A wall is at best a temporary restbit, They only let you catch your breath.

[feelfree1]

Mark Strassmann (author), I would say that your credibility has 'plunged', with this shameless piece of yellow journalism, but it is not clear whether or not you ever had any.

[j-whitman]

Tank611,,,, Bush has failed to stop it,,, He's made matters much worse

[feelfree1]

Tank611,

Re: "Al-Qaida is in Iraq. General Petraeus said that yesterday. They have all the evidence."

Would they mind sharing a shred of it with the rest of us, because otherwise, this looks like more unsubstantiated hype, aimed at masking his coward's war crimes and defeat!

I have little doubt that 'al-CIA'da' is in Iraq, but 'sl-Qaeda-in-Iraq'? Nonsense.

[tank611]

Statement of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
April 26,2007

'Can you imagine in the middle of World War II the Congress mandating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe and the Pacific, oblivious to the facts on the ground or the absolute necessity to win? Can you even imagine in the middle of the Cold War if Congress had required the withdrawal of troops from the same parts of the world,thinking that if we withdrew our troops, the Communists would do the same and peace would prevail?

If earlier Congresses had done what it appears this Congress is trying to do, freedom would have died in Europe, it would have died where it was in Asia, and who knows what would have happened in the future in America.

There are those who say this isn't a world war; it is a civil war; it is over there, and we can't do anything about it. This is a tough time, there is no question. Every one of us grieves when we see the killing of innocent people, Iraqis or Americans. But make no mistake about it, this is a world war. Al-Qaida is in Iraq. General Petraeus said that yesterday. They have all the evidence. They know what al-Qaida is doing there. They are attacking Americans. They are attacking Iraqis. They are trying to take over Iraq so they will have the capability to spread their terrorism throughout the world.'

[feelfree1]

Did you catch that everyone? Mark Strassmann wrote this steaming pile. Judith Miller, meet Mark Strassmann!

[toldyouso21]

Word is, that if America builds a wall around the GOP and all self proclaimed Republican Christians, that the rate of child molestation and pedophilia will go way down as will serial killing, lying and starting illegal wars. Though, it is acknowledged that the rate of depravity and incest may go up inside those walls. www.armchairsubversive.com

Well...should we build it? LOL

[radiob-2009]

Well, if it saves 265 people per week...and for now its temporary, whats the hurt in having them there. As far as being ignorant, everyone is entitled to there own views, but name calling on a blog, is pretty pointless isnt it? Put that energy into getting our government into seeing that our own people need more help, and stop them from sending billions over seas and giving billions in freebies to illegals here on our own turf, while our own elderly, disabled and lower income CITIZENS are denied proper health care, medications, heat and food. 60% of our LEGAL population is living below poverty levels, we really need to start getting the message to our so called leaders, that we need to start taking care of our own, instead of everywhere else.
Posted by OldThought


Where are you getting the 60% figure from? That is higher than Palestinian territories and the neighboring nations in the middle east which have one of the highest levels living below poverty.We do need to take care of our own, no argument with your premise.

[radiob-2009]

The problem is that Democrats don't seem to mind mass killings. They sat back and did nothing while Europe was exterminating its Jewish population; they sat back and did nothing while 2 MILLION Cambodians were being slaughtered ...


Posted by Jebby_One

Read Intrepid it is about WWII and prior to WWII. Rooselvelt wanted in the war prior to the bombing at Pearl Harbor.The Berlin Wall united or the people of Germany finally set aside their differences? You mention Cambodia but fail to mention Darfur. Who is looking after the 200,000 that have been killed or the millions that have fled? Neither the Democrats or Republicans or anyone else.