Traumatic Memories Mar Baghdad Neighborhoods
Violence and terrorism have left many Iraqis with post-traumatic stress associated with specific areas of Baghdad they continue to associate with a violent event.
Official figures and those published by other concerned organizations indicate that the number of victims of violence in Iraq has spiked over the past months, making it comparable to what it was during the years of the sectarian war that raged from 2005 to 2008.
The term “death zones” nowadays easily describes many areas of Baghdad, while in the past it only applied to specific areas.
Baghdad’s inhabitants now expect to fall victim to car bombs, even while traveling in alleyways. Bassem Hussein, 31, recounted to Al-Monitor the details of an explosion that struck the al-Qahira neighborhood of Baghdad over a week ago, when he lost his right eye and his brother was killed.
After his release from hospital, Bassem said, “We did not expect these bombings to target residential areas at such a pace. We now fear that they might kill us in our own homes.”
