On a Friday Night.

Layla Anwar, An Arab Woman Blues - Reflections in a sealed bottle...
June 2, 2007
I know you guys (and gals) make a big deal out of Friday nights.
"Hey the weekend is here, thank God it's Friday" line, I have heard it once too many.
Friday night and you go and get pissed drunk out of your brains or have some cozy tete a tete with your date, or invite some friends over for a party...
While I have to sit here on a Friday night and report your own horrors back to you.
Hope this will not spoil your "mood" though.
I have lost yet another relative this week. He lives in Amil district. He has 4 kids and is in his 20's. He walked to his front door and the American air raids bombed his house. As a matter of fact they bombed a whole row of houses and around 20 men of his age died.
Now as am typing this, the Mahdi Army of Muqtada Shit has encircled the Amil district and it is now under siege.
His brother, early 20's was praying in the mosque. He was detained by the Americans who beat him up so bad they broke all his ribs. They finally released him not finding any evidence of his involvement in any "illegal" activities.
The Ameriya district is under curfew. The "Al-Qaeda" has been waging a war against the Members of the Resistance. Killing imams in the mosques and shooting members of the Resistance in cold blood. Al Ameriya is encircled now by the Mahdi, the Iraqi forces and the Americans. Note the parrallel development in Al Amil and you will understand a piece of the puzzle which is no longer a puzzle for me.
In Adhamiya, snipers have squatted rooftops of buildings, in Omar Street next to Antar Square. No one can pass through there and anyone who dares is killed in cold blood. People cannot leave Adhamiya and if they are forced to go out to get food, they need to borrow a much longer route and as dangerous.
There is virtually no electricity. I mean none in all the above neighborhoods and others, including the whole of Karradah. Forget about water. Some are using generators but the price of gaz has gone up to 4 $ a liter, (16'000 dinars) and the tanks of paraffin (used a lot in Iraq) has gone up to 30'000 dinars (around 16$) which is enormous when the average salary is 100$ a month if you are lucky enough to have a job, that is.
I also heard that Iran is exporting oil and refined oil products to Iraq and are sold on the Baghdadi market. But "Iranian" oil is not the only thing Baghdadis are forced to buy. Try getting a pair of shoes - Impossible. All you can find are piles and piles of ugly plastic slippers made guess where? Iran of course. A war of slippers perhaps?
And before I sign off and wish you a lovely weekend, I don't want to forget this other piece of info.
"Official" figures from the "Iraqi" government put the number of Iraqi civilians killed for the month of May to 2'000.
Nice figure no? Now go and enjoy your friggin Friday night.
Cheers!
Oh and I forgot, over 200 men bearing the name of Omar have been killed by the Mahdi and Co criminals. Someone found a whole line of Omars lying next to a mosque, around 12 of them with a tag saying "My name is Omar and now am dead."
Seems that the turn for the Bakrs has arrived. Cousin Amal and her only son Bakr have fled to Syria.
Cheers again!
Painting : Iraqi artist, Saadi Al Kaabi.
continua / continued