Baghdad's walls keep peace but feel like prison

JsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? Students at a girls' school take a break from final exams, in Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. People in Iraq's second-largest city are happy with newfound security after a U.S.-backed Iraqi military operation but complain that the Iraqi government has failed to follow through with promises to improve basic services. BAGHDAD (AP) — Baghdad hasn't been this quiet in years. But the respite from bloodshed comes at a high price.Up to 20 feet high in some sections.Rows after rows of barrier walls divide the city into smaller and smaller areas that protect people from bombings, sniper fire and kidnappings. They also lead to gridlock, rising prices for food and homes, and complaints about living in what feels like a prison.Baghdad's walls are everywhere. They have turned a riverside capital of leafy neighborhoods and palm-lined boulevards into a city of shadows that separat...
Originally from: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_dh0QqzIxDs1gjPjuB0cMf0NPNAD91IJM980

9.7.08 08:44