Wow, off deadline finally, and the good new -- as things now stand -- is that the last three days will be chronicled in this coming week's TIME Magazine. And you guys got to read the bulk of it here first! I'll post a link when it's available in the next couple of days.
[UPDATE AUG-30: And here's the story.]
As I mentioned, Thursday was a day of entering the Shrine with the pilgrims and going to the Sistani press conference Thursday night. When the cops came to fetch us, many of us -- including this "brave" correspondent -- turned out the lights in our rooms and locked the doors. I considered hiding under the bed, but there was no need this time. They didn't shoot at us and they were (mostly) polite. I hope someone got in trouble for shooting at us.
I wish I had been able to learn more about Thursday's protest shootings and the attack on Kufa's mosque, but I couldn't be everywhere at once. I think I should have gone to the protests instead of the Shrine that day. 'Twould have been better news judgment.
The cops came again on Friday morning at 6:15 (thanks, guys!) to take us to the Shrine. Tens of thousands of pilgrims were streaming through police checkpoints to get to the Shrine. The Mahdi militiamen turned in a few of their weapons. I didn't go, however. I had to get back to Baghdad to file and we had to leave early to avoid kidnappers in Latifiya.
I'm glad the fighting in Najaf has stopped. I'm not sure what will happen now, but perhaps there's some hope. Moqtada has put down his weapons before in negotiated cease-fires, only to order his men to fight again. Many of his men are keeping their weapons, and it looks like the Mahdi Army will continue as a twilight militia. If Moqtada decides the political realm is not for him, anything could happen. In Iraq, it's best not to hope too hard.
And as we saw yesterday, there is already new fighting in Sadr City. Someone didn't get the memo.
I had heard that there was a lot of fighting in Baghdad - just after you got back from a hairy situation in Najaf, largely unscathed, thank God. My medical friends say salt tablets (if you can get them) and 64+ ounces of water a day should help to counteract the aftereffects, which can hang on for a bit - fatigue, the odd dizzy moment, faint nausea, all that. If your TIME article is anything like your post, is anyone else thinking “Pulitzer material” besides me? What’s the mood in Baghdad since the handover of the shrine? Or are people focused on other things that mean more to them?
Does that mean you’ll stop giving us the skinny first? Pull the old posts off your site? I’m hoping not — though with an audience as huge as TIME (CBS?)’s, I guess I’ll understand if you have to.
Like Gail, I’d love to know how ordinary people in Baghdad are feeling about all this. Is it not extraordinary to folks who weren’t in Najaf? Is it the now-normal-abnormal paradigm, or was the damage to Najaf the deeper offense to Islam that many feared?
I’m thinking the fighting will just move elsewhere. I can’t imagine Sadr throwing in the towel at this point. I heard on the news last night fighting was growing in Fallujah again, and as previously mentioned, in Sadr City.
Glad you made it back to Baghdad safely. This was a tense week for all of us back home.
Christopher’s Mom
…I read your pieces from time to time. There have
been a few occasions that your writing and attached
opinions were on target. You (pretty much) strike
me as a young White punk playing the hero journalist in war torn Iraq. Which is to say, you may have, by now, insights into the causes and possible cures for the senseless destruction of Iraq, but you prefer to panda to your American readership and its narrowly defined vision of life.
(I live and work in Iraq) You are intent on making
a name for yourself, but please remember to
“tell it like t is” from time to to time.
Chris — Nope. The stuff on the blog stays on the blog. And this is a constant source of angst for me as to how much to blog vs. my job. It’s a tough balancing act.
Al— since I’m not sure how to “panda” to anyone, just what exactly should I say to “tell it like it is?” Since you live and work in Iraq. How long have you been here, by the way? And where do you live? Baghdad? Green Zone? Somewhere else? Wherever you are, stay safe.
Glad your safe Chris. Stay out of Fallujah though… :)
Al’s first language probably not English but I’d guess it’s better than your Arabic or Bush’s English
:-)
Chris, There has only ever been one thing I’ve ever wanted to know about the Iraq War and the current situation and that is the story without all the CNN/BBC/ITV bullshit. That’s why I was overhjoyed when I found this site (many thanks to Silent Jaguar for giving me the URL). You are in a unique position - you can report the truth without feeling like you have to colour it to suit a particular audience - and if the people who read this site don’t like it, they cn go jump. And some people definitely won’t like it - but then facts aren’t there to be liked - they’re just there. Perhaps what you write will end up coloured by your own views and prejudices, but all the same news coming from a guy who’s lived/witnessed the situation first-hand will always be a helluva lot more valuable to me than the same news seen through the eyes of some inner city editor whose job is (ultimately) to sell a product.
Keep up the good work.
To readers.
What is your problem with CNN ?
This is on of the only channel who try to show a “fair and balance” view of the situation in Irak.
Because they do that, they are tagged as”liberal”.
I watch CNN and Fox, and I am always amazed how the later show no shame in massaging the news.
Just read the TIME article - excellent work; good for you, esp. considering the conditions you were laboring under when you wrote it. Thanks again.
So far there has only been 2 types of news reporting, none of them are helping Iraq at all. There’s the excessive flag-waving, we rule type of news, aka fox news that has gotten less but was funny while it lasted and then there’s the one we have now which only shows that americans have no point in life but killing iraqis and that iraqis are just a bunch of masked men who want to kill all infidels. No mention about how much of these group are actually iraqi and why would they be called ‘resistance’ when all they do is kill as much iraqis as possible.
This type of reporting is extremely dangerous cos it has really hindered the reconstruction process and encouraged terrorism more than anything.
Ure posts have been a relief from all that and I really enjoy reading them
Did you run into this bunch of reporters in Najaf. Sounds like one big party. Wish I had of been there.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,687251,00.html
Hah. Phillip’s a friend of mine and was with me on Thursday. But it was definitely not a party.
The TIME story was fine…but I believe your blog entries were superior. Thanks for sharing that with us, relatively raw. But like others have indicated,
please measure risk judiciously.