A Baghdad neighborhood returns to life

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

A Baghdad neighborhood returns to life
By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD - Twilight brings traffic jams to the main shopping district of this once-affluent corner of Baghdad and hundreds of people stroll past well-stocked vegetable stands, bakeries and butcher shops.

To many in Amariyah, it seems little short of a miracle.

Just six months ago, this mostly Sunni neighborhood was one of the centers of al-Qaida in Iraq operations. The district in western Baghdad was hit by more than a dozen bombings and shootings some days. Few people dared to venture onto the streets.

On Tuesday, women shopped and men drank tea in sidewalk cafes. Occasionally, U.S. soldiers walking the streets were greeted with salaams and smiles.

...

But Kuehl, 41, from Huntsville, Ala., and other military officials here argued that any successful counterinsurgency requires recruiting supporters from the ranks of former adversaries. Several U.S. military officers here said there had been no suspected insurgent attacks on U.S. troops in Amariyah since early August.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_a_neighborhood_transformed

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Amazing what you can accomplish when you "negotiate with terrorists."