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In the News

The new face of Iraq

American troops are gone, and normal, everyday life is returning to the country — especially its capital. Baghdad’s streets are filled with people eating, shopping and having some fun.

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Iraqis pass a popcorn booth where Sabri Naji, 49, sells the snack in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad. He said he is thankful for the December 2011 departure of U.S. troops from his country. "Now, after the withdrawal, it's a little bit safer than before," he said. When the Americans were around, added Naji, who has sold popcorn on the streets for 25 years, there was a constant fear of explosions and shootings.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A wedding party packed into vehicles celebrates a recent marriage.

A wedding party packed into vehicles celebrates a recent marriage.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Commuters pay 500 Iraqi dinar, or about 40 cents, to ride a city bus in Baghdad. The double-decker bus system that functioned under Saddam Hussein's rule disappeared after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Sixty new buses, made in Jordan, now crisscross the capital on state-run lines, which were revived in May. The buses are an alternative to the city's often-cramped minibuses and the more pricey mustard-yellow taxis. They’re also cool, thanks to air conditioning.

Commuters pay 500 Iraqi dinar, or about 40 cents, to ride a city bus in Baghdad. The double-decker bus system that functioned under Saddam Hussein's rule disappeared after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Sixty new buses, made in Jordan, now crisscross the capital on state-run lines, which were revived in May. The buses are an alternative to the city's often-cramped minibuses and the more pricey mustard-yellow taxis. They’re also cool, thanks to air conditioning.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A street market in the southern Karrada district of Baghdad bustles with activity. People in this area say that since the U.S. military pullout, they feel safer while strolling the streets and enjoying the night life.

A street market in the southern Karrada district of Baghdad bustles with activity. People in this area say that since the U.S. military pullout, they feel safer while strolling the streets and enjoying the night life.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Traffic congests an intersection in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on a Sunday in July.

Traffic congests an intersection in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on a Sunday in July.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

MaxiMall, a huge shopping site in Baghdad’s Mansour district, attracts thousands of shoppers. Nearby in the neighborhood, sidewalk cafes are crowded with people drinking coffee and smoking hookah water pipes, yet armored vehicles and ambulances stationed at big intersections remind Iraqis that disaster might be just a detonator away.

MaxiMall, a huge shopping site in Baghdad’s Mansour district, attracts thousands of shoppers. Nearby in the neighborhood, sidewalk cafes are crowded with people drinking coffee and smoking hookah water pipes, yet armored vehicles and ambulances stationed at big intersections remind Iraqis that disaster might be just a detonator away.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Huda Ali, 23, left, and her sister Hind Ali, 34, dentists who speak excellent English, browse the fancier women’s wear at MaxiMall in the Mansour area of Baghdad. Elsewhere, an eight-story Baghdad mall is being built by a Turkish developer, and new car dealerships, shops, spas, houses and offices are rising.

Huda Ali, 23, left, and her sister Hind Ali, 34, dentists who speak excellent English, browse the fancier women’s wear at MaxiMall in the Mansour area of Baghdad. Elsewhere, an eight-story Baghdad mall is being built by a Turkish developer, and new car dealerships, shops, spas, houses and offices are rising.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Aseel Hamza, 17, is led away from her home by her husband, Ahmed Abdul Kareem, 23, during their July 11 wedding in Baghdad. After the U.S. military withdrew from Iraq, Hamza quit secondary school to become a bride.

Aseel Hamza, 17, is led away from her home by her husband, Ahmed Abdul Kareem, 23, during their July 11 wedding in Baghdad. After the U.S. military withdrew from Iraq, Hamza quit secondary school to become a bride.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Bride Aseel Hamza and groom Ahmed Abdul Kareem share a moment under the watchful eyes of their parents. The two were driven to their wedding reception in a Hummer limousine. The military Humvee became the icon of the U.S. war in Iraq, a nine-year campaign. Now, as Iraq struggles to recover, the Humvee’s tarted-up civilian offspring is a gaudy, check-me-out sign that Iraqis suddenly have a little space in their lives for something other than dread. “Yes, these cars were a symbol of war,” said Abdul Kareem Mohammad, a government worker who paid $400 to rent one of the strutting American vehicles for his son’s wedding. “But now, it’s a symbol of our joy. It’s a symbol of peace.”

Bride Aseel Hamza and groom Ahmed Abdul Kareem share a moment under the watchful eyes of their parents. The two were driven to their wedding reception in a Hummer limousine. The military Humvee became the icon of the U.S. war in Iraq, a nine-year campaign. Now, as Iraq struggles to recover, the Humvee’s tarted-up civilian offspring is a gaudy, check-me-out sign that Iraqis suddenly have a little space in their lives for something other than dread. “Yes, these cars were a symbol of war,” said Abdul Kareem Mohammad, a government worker who paid $400 to rent one of the strutting American vehicles for his son’s wedding. “But now, it’s a symbol of our joy. It’s a symbol of peace.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Aseel Hamza and Ahmed Abdul Kareem receive cheers from security officers as their sleek white Hummer limousine rolls past a security checkpoint en route to their wedding reception. “It’s like being in the movies,” said the mother of the groom, who was draped in a gold-colored veil and riding in the back as checkpoint soldiers poked their heads inside the vehicle for a wide-eyed peek.

Aseel Hamza and Ahmed Abdul Kareem receive cheers from security officers as their sleek white Hummer limousine rolls past a security checkpoint en route to their wedding reception. “It’s like being in the movies,” said the mother of the groom, who was draped in a gold-colored veil and riding in the back as checkpoint soldiers poked their heads inside the vehicle for a wide-eyed peek.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Babies sleep among the joyful noises of a wedding reception in Baghdad.

Babies sleep among the joyful noises of a wedding reception in Baghdad.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Iraqis enjoy the thrill rides at Zawra Park in Baghdad. Other options for families on the July evening included riverfront parks with Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, cotton-candy sellers and a Russian circus that was in town.

Iraqis enjoy the thrill rides at Zawra Park in Baghdad. Other options for families on the July evening included riverfront parks with Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, cotton-candy sellers and a Russian circus that was in town.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Aqeel Shakar weighs and tags a carp at Abu Nuwas Park in Baghdad. The fish will be prepared for diners.

Aqeel Shakar weighs and tags a carp at Abu Nuwas Park in Baghdad. The fish will be prepared for diners.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Sami Gazi, 18, left, and Aqeel Shakar, 31, prepare fish at Baghdad’s Abu Nuwas Park for the evening rush of diners.

Sami Gazi, 18, left, and Aqeel Shakar, 31, prepare fish at Baghdad’s Abu Nuwas Park for the evening rush of diners.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Families sit for dinner on the streets of the Karrada district in Baghdad.

Families sit for dinner on the streets of the Karrada district in Baghdad.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Ali Sameer, 19, center, raises his face toward a fan's cool breeze on a warm summer evening at Burger Joint in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad. Burger Joint is the first unabashedly American-style restaurant in the city, and it’s packed nightly. The menu, in Arabic and English, offers hot dogs, milkshakes and apple pie. Ahmed Nazar, 20, left, a computer-engineering student at Mansour University College said, “A lot of people say the Americans destroyed Baghdad, and they are very, very grateful for them to go out from this country.' But Nazar added that such thinking is “narrow-minded” and that he loves all things American. He speaks English and is a fan of David Letterman. “And hamburgers are delicious,” he said.

Ali Sameer, 19, center, raises his face toward a fan's cool breeze on a warm summer evening at Burger Joint in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad. Burger Joint is the first unabashedly American-style restaurant in the city, and it’s packed nightly. The menu, in Arabic and English, offers hot dogs, milkshakes and apple pie. Ahmed Nazar, 20, left, a computer-engineering student at Mansour University College said, “A lot of people say the Americans destroyed Baghdad, and they are very, very grateful for them to go out from this country." But Nazar added that such thinking is “narrow-minded” and that he loves all things American. He speaks English and is a fan of David Letterman. “And hamburgers are delicious,” he said.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Danti 'Fortattoo' flips through a U.S.-themed calendar that was brought in by a potential customer as he takes a quick break from inking a tattoo on the back of Qahtan Adnan. Meanwhile, Mustafa Diya'a, second from right, and Abbas Hussam spend time at the tattoo shop in the Karrada district in Baghdad. Tattoos are becoming more popular among Iraqi youth, Danti says, and there has been a rise in U.S.-themed tattoos since the Americans’ withdrawal. He raised his right pant leg to reveal an unfinished tattoo of a U.S. flag that he is inking on his own thigh.

Danti "Fortattoo" flips through a U.S.-themed calendar that was brought in by a potential customer as he takes a quick break from inking a tattoo on the back of Qahtan Adnan. Meanwhile, Mustafa Diya'a, second from right, and Abbas Hussam spend time at the tattoo shop in the Karrada district in Baghdad. Tattoos are becoming more popular among Iraqi youth, Danti says, and there has been a rise in U.S.-themed tattoos since the Americans’ withdrawal. He raised his right pant leg to reveal an unfinished tattoo of a U.S. flag that he is inking on his own thigh.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Life in the Mansour district of Baghdad is beginning to regain a sense of normalcy since the December withdrawal of U.S. troops. During the height of sectarian violence, the streets of Mansour, an area that straddles a divide between Shiites and Sunnis, were virtually empty.

Life in the Mansour district of Baghdad is beginning to regain a sense of normalcy since the December withdrawal of U.S. troops. During the height of sectarian violence, the streets of Mansour, an area that straddles a divide between Shiites and Sunnis, were virtually empty.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

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