Bearing the scars of a decade of war: Poignant pictures of life in Baghdad ten years on from invasion
In the
early hours of March 20 2003, coalition forces entered Iraq in a
surprise 'shock and awe' assault against Saddam Hussein's regime.
A
decade of turmoil and bloodshed has followed and the nation's capital
city Baghdad still bears the scars of war with bullet ridden buildings
and a large military presence on the street.
Military
checkpoints on every main street are a stark reminder that Baghdad is
not yet the safe haven of peace and democracy that Anglo-American forces
set out, unjustifiably or not, to install a decade ago.
Indeed
the country is still caught somewhere between violence - a wave of
suicide bombings tore through the city just last week - and peace.
But
while vast areas in the capital have fractured infrastructure and lack
services, others are said to be showing promising signs of recovery.
And as these poignant pictures show, life still goes on in the city which is home to more than seven million people.
Ten years on: These Baghdadi children weren't
even born when coalition troops invaded Iraq back in March 2013.
Pictures of the country ten years on show that although the area is
still a dangerous place to live, life does still go on
Rebuilding: Downtown Baghdad appears to be
bustling with cars in this picture taken a decade after Saddam Hussein's
regime was toppled. The dome of the 17 Ramadan Mosque is pictured in
the foreground
Armed guards: Iraqi policemen guard the entrance
to the Baghdad Folklore Museum. The city continues to show the scars of
war and a large military presence remains on the streets
Freedom to express themselves: Performers
rehearse at the National Theatre for the Athoudron Festival. The future
of Iraqi culture and the arts is looking more promising than it did in
the bleakest hours of war
Leisure time: Boys play football along Haifa
Street which is still heavily scarred from fighting between US and Iraqi
forces, left, while Ali Satar rides horses for pleasure in the upscale
district of Karada, right. Karada was subject to round the clock curfews
and hit by heavy violence at the height of the troubles in Iraq
Building up: Hoseen Samer lifts weights in a gym
in the affluent Karada district. The area is said to be one of the more
affluent in Baghdad, but it is still a dangerous place to live - almost
50 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the area a day after this
picture was taken
Clean up: A young man collects trash in a
residential area of central Baghdad. But some areas of the city are
still said to be severely lacking the most basic of services
Refurbishing: Workers on scaffolding attach
aluminum siding to a building being refurbished on Al Jemhoori Street.
Billions of dollars have been invested in rebuilding some of the city's
buildings
Then: Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull
down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad,on April 9 2003, in
one of the most iconic images from the coalition invasion
Now: The Ishtar (locally known as Sheraton) and
Palestine Hotels stand next to Firdos Square where the statue of Saddam
Hussein was pulled down by US forces almost a decade ago
At war: U.S. soldiers look at a burned-out
military Humvee vehicle that was destroyed in an attack in the Karada
area of Baghdad in 2003
Progress: Ali Hasan and Ali Satar ride horses
for pleasure in the upscale district of Karada ten years on, the same
area which was plagued by violence in the years that followed invasion
Big business: A street vendor makes shwarma
(lamb) sandwiches in Baghdad. Similar to doner, shwarma is normally
served in Iraq as small pockets of white bread filled with shaved beef,
lamb, or chicken, along with a touch of lettuce, tomatoes, and spicy
onion
Surviving: Worker Washer Kilani pushes goods
through lines of heavy traffic in central Baghdad. The Iraqi government
has recently launched an initiative aimed at driving down unemployment
in the country and getting more people back in work
Opulence: A top of the range car showroom in the
Al Nahza neighborhood. Only one in 20 Iraqis own cars and most foreign
models were banned during Saddam Hussein's reign. Interest in cars is
now said to be increasing in the country
June 2004: Cars burn and rubble litters the
street as Baghdad's Tahrir Square has been rocked by a deadly suicide
bomb during rush hour
March 2013: Iraq security forces search
protesters arriving at Baghdad's Tahrir Square, an illustration of the
military presence that remains on the streets to try and thwart such
attacks from happening again
New world: Iraqi government employees hold a peaceful protest in Baghdad's Tahrir Square
Civilised: These men sit and relax outside a tea
room in the Al Fazil area of Baghdad. The image is a stark contrast to
the bloody events that these men would have witnessed over the past
decade
Political message: An anti-American and Israeli
slogan on a billboard reads 'Our strength is our Unity'. Gone are the
statues, posters and murals of former leader Saddam Hussein that he had
erected all around the country
Unfinished: The Al-Rahman mosque that was
started by Saddam Hussein in 1998 and meant to be one of the biggest
mosques in Iraq. Building work stopped following the invasion in 2003
Lack of supply: The Dora power plant in Baghdad.
One of the main obstacles to Iraq's ongoing development is reported to
be the lack of a regular electricity supply, with Baghdad residents
receiving on average of just eight hours of electricity a day
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