In the village of Fataha in northern Iraq, a bomb exploded late Saturday night near an oil pipeline. A fireball floated down the banks of the Tigris River, burning trees and forcing villagers to escape with their valuables.
"I have lost my 50 cows. All of them burned and died in the fire," said Abu Saadiea, a villager. "I am not the only one who has lost his cattle. All the families who have animals close to the bank of the river died."
An Iraqi youth walks past a torn campaign poster of Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, in central Baghdad.
(Ali Jasim -- Reuters)
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Meanwhile, the U.S. military said Iraqi police arrested one of the top insurgent suspects and two other people Saturday. The military said U.S. soldiers had been trying to catch the man, whom it did not name, for almost a year.
"We are gradually picking away at the terrorist infrastructure," said Maj. Web Wright, a spokesman for the Army's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. "Every day we get more and more tips from the Iraqi people, who are standing up and identifying these murderers and thugs."
Iraqi officials said a water plant bombed on Jan. 15 had been repaired and water restored to tens of thousands of Baghdad residents. For 20 hours each day, however, much of the city remains without power.
But all of these woes appeared to fade a little Sunday in Baghdad, as thousands of residents flocked to the al-Zawraa Park and Zoo. The park had been a center of social life that attracted families, children and young lovers, and it reopened this weekend after having been closed for renovations before the U.S.-led war began in March 2003.
The scene was unusually festive, as a populace that has learned to avoid crowds and places that might be targeted by insurgents ventured out.
Mohammed Srahan, 45, a teacher, took his family to the park because he yearned "for the old days, and I also feel bad for my children."
"We are under occupation, and this will never end," he said. "I want my children to be happy, because there is no electricity at the house. What is the point of sitting home?"
Srahan said he was not deterred by the threat of violence.
"Frankly, I am not very happy, but I will be happy when the occupiers leave the country and when a true Iraqi leadership governs Iraq, a true one not like that one that is governing us now and not like the one coming in. We don't know who are the candidates and what are their aims."
His 6-year-old daughter, Noor, said she was "not afraid of the criminals. They are cowards, and they cannot kill me."
Families, groups of teenagers and children stood in long lines to take a turn down slides and ride a carousel. A band roved through the park singing traditional Iraqi songs.
Muhanned Fadhil, 55, a trader who lives in Sadr City, a large Shiite slum in the capital, said he could not believe the park had reopened. "My family and my children are very happy," he said. "The people should be united and not be afraid. We were afraid for 35 years under the oppression of Saddam, and today is our chance."
Special correspondents Naseer Nouri and Sahar Nageeb in Baghdad, Salid Saif Aldin in Baiji and Hasan Shammari in Baqubah contributed to this report.
