US Erects Baghdad Wall to Keep Sects Apart
By Edward Wong and David S. Cloud, The New York Times
American military commanders in Baghdad are trying a radical new strategy to quell the widening sectarian violence by building a 12-foot-high, three-mile-long wall separating a historic Sunni enclave from Shiite neighborhoods…A doctor in Adhamiya, Abu Hassan, said the wall would transform the residents into caged animals.
“It’s unbelievable that they treat us in such an inhumane manner,” he said in a telephone interview. “They’re trying to isolate us from other parts of Baghdad. The hatred will be much greater between the two sects.”
(Original Article)
Iraqi Premier Stops Building Of Wall In Baghdad
A controversy has emerged over the building of a security barrier around Al-Adhamiyah, a Sunni district in Baghdad, to separate it from nearby Shi’ite areas…But al-Maliki, criticized the building of the barrier.
“From the Arab point of view, and in reality, I rejected building the wall, and it will be stopped. But, basically, the main reason for this wall was not to isolate, but it was conceived as a means of protection, as a security measure. But, I was afraid that after building this wall, it might lead to others being built, which we reject,” he said.
(Original Article)