worst sand storm in yrs. stops all flights in Baghdad area

[ensho]

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=eng


A heavy sand storm hitting central Iraq made air traffic impossible on Thursday, forcing Iraqi airline companies to postpone and cancel all domestic and foreign flights for the day. Dozens of residents were hospitalized with breathing difficulties after a thick layer of dust blanketed houses and vehicles in the Iraqi capital. The spring storm, one of the worst in years, forced the closure of the Baghdad International Airport, said an official as saying. The sand storms that have hit Iraq since early morning hampered military flights, and none of the U.S. helicopter patrols that regularly hover above the city of 6 million people could be airborne. However, the conditions were favorable for militants from eastern Baghdad, who sent a series of rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic missions and much of the Iraqi government. No casualties were reported.)
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and Condi fusses because no one wants to go and work in the "embassy".