In fortified Sadr City, some merchants paying for calm

[Robbien]

Source: USA Today

BAGHDAD — Car mechanic Sabah Aziz's shop sits empty just inside the newly built wall that seals off the U.S.-controlled enclave on Sadr City.

The military hoped to turn the walled-off district into a flourishing "West Berlin" in one of Iraq's most troubled neighborhoods. But nearly three weeks after the 3-mile-long wall went up, this neighborhood looks more like the German city's communist counterpart of the past. Aziz's garage is going bust, while shops on the other side of the wall are booming.

"The Americans built this wall to separate the bad Sadr City and the good Sadr City, but no customers can get through to us now. So the good side suffers, and the bad side thrives," said Aziz, 26, as he stared at the 12-foot-high barrier in front of his empty garage.

. . .

Sadr City is calm today after nearly two months of deadly fighting. An agreement two weeks ago called for al-Sadr's militia to stand down and allowed the Iraqi army to go into the Shiite slum. The truce limited U.S. activity to two neighborhoods.

Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, said the goal is to show the potential benefits of cooperating with the United States by turning the two neighborhoods into a model district with a vibrant economy and basic services.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-06-01-iraqwall_N.htm

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So violence is down because the military is walled up in two neighborhoods while everyone else is doing brisk business on the other side of the wall. Nice plan.

[krispos42]

1. Say, that's a nice shop you got there...

...be a shame if something happened to it...

[Doctor_J]

2. Protection rackets - they really ARE getting the hang of US-style commerce

:eyes: