Residents of Doura in Baghdad cry for help

Azzaman

The restive Doura quarter of Baghdad has been under siege for nearly two weeks and residents say they are running out of basic items and amenities. Doura is an anti-U.S. stronghold where armed groups have had the upper hand for years. Repeated U.S. assaults have failed to dislodge the rebels, most of them adhering to the strict rules of Islam. Most Christians have left the district following threats of kidnapping or killing. Doura’s four churches and three monasteries have been evacuated with U.S. troops turning two of them into barracks. But the remaining residents say U.S. military operations and sieges have turned their quarter into a big prison. They say shops have been closed and people cannot leave their homes with U.S. snipers occupying roofs of high buildings...

continua / continued