Baghdad's Deserted Southern Zone ....... Militants in Control; Residents Stay Inside

[RedEarth]

Areas in the southern parts of Baghdad, controlled by militant Sunni groups, are nearly deserted by their inhabitants, and even the security forces are not present, eyewitnesses report. While some ares of Baghdad report halting improvements in security, other parts of the capital continue to sink into desperation.

Sources in areas of the Al-Risala, Al-Shurta, al-Ray, al-Muwasalat, and al-Turath districts report hearing attacks from members of the militant Sunni “Omar Army” on average every two hours. Most of the markets in these areas are closed, and the streets are deserted. Slogger sources report that individuals stay off the streets, as anyone seems to be a target for random sniping.

In many parts of these areas, especially al-Muwasalat, even the police and the National Guard are not to be found. The eerie stillness is broken only by the sounds of the militants' gunfire.

One of the remaining Shi'a residents in al-Shurta reported that many mornings he wakes up to find threats written in black paint on the exterior wall of his house, threatening him to “fear the Omar Army.”

Neighborhood residents are “going mad,” another source reported, shut into their homes and unable to leave.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/1830/Baghdads_Deserted_Southern_Zone