While in central Baghdad the war has arrived as a series of interruptions to daily life, Sueb and the other extremities of this vast city are being softened up for America’s assault. Here, as in other outlying areas of Baghdad, civilians are also paying the price for living close to enticing targets.
… Despite such precautions, in Sueb as in other outlying areas, America’s bombardments have brought almost daily casualties. On March 26, an explosion killed nearly 20 Iraqis on the main road of Shaab, on the northern perimeter of Baghdad. Two days later, more than 50 people were killed when a US missile struck a crowded marketplace in the Shouala neighbourhood, a hurriedly built suburb for working class Shias not unlike Sueb. On Monday, tragedy struck in Sueb when US missiles killed six members of the family of the lowly baklava seller, Ali Abdul Rasul, and five others living in the same road. Twelve houses were destroyed in the blast, hastily built one storey structures crumpled into the earth. “The people living in this area are the very poorest people. It really is so cruel that we are being hit,” said Taliya Ali Mohammed, whose house, down the road from Mr Rasul’s, was strewn with shattered glass.
From the Guardian UK.
