In a visit to Washington last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Iraq (news - web sites) as a nation that's safer and stronger with Saddam gone. He said the violence is happening mostly in certain pockets and is not widespread. His words echoed those of President Bush (news - web sites).
But some people who live and work here - including U.S. civilian contractors, security firms and charity groups - see a deteriorating security situation. Hashami, 41, said she switched off a broadcast of one of Allawi's Washington appearances because "he was not real." Just this evening, she said, she and the children came across a car with two dead men inside, apparently ambushed and shot.
The start of school for the children in Baghdad was postponed until next month because of the poor security, and some Iraqis believe classes will be postponed longer. "If Allawi is certain of improvement, why didn't school start on time?" Hashami asked.
Attacks by insurgents have increased through the summer and into fall, sometimes reaching 100 a day against U.S. and allied forces. Kroll Security International, which provides analysis for the U.S. government and others, said the average now is about 70 per day, compared with fewer than 50 before Allawi took office in June. The death toll for U.S. troops, which passed 1,000 earlier this month, continues to rise.
The violence in Baghdad is changing the way Iraqis live. Feeling unsafe, Safi and Hashami left the cafe quickly as the city grew dark. So did Hussam Salim, a 22-year-old university student, and his friends. Salim said he's proud that Allawi spoke to Congress. "I am hopeful about improvements," Salim said. "But his words are not 100% true about security."
The violence in Iraq is uneven. Many areas, as Allawi said, are peaceful for the vast majority of the residents. At the same time, in those same places, death lurks for those targeted by the insurgency: Americans and other foreigners, military or civilian, and the Iraqis who help them. Dozens of those Iraqis have been killed this year and, in many cases, their families were also threatened or harmed. |
