REUTERS NEWS ALERT: SADR CITY CONDITIONS WORSEN

Weeks of fighting have shut off many essential services in the Shia neighbourhood.

By an IWPR-trained reporter in Baghdad (ICR No. 258, 14-May-08)

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/RMOI-7EN2EP?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=irq

Living conditions in Sadr City, already one of Baghdad’s most impoverished slums, have deteriorated sharply following weeks of fighting between Shia militiamen and United States-backed Iraqi troops that has killed hundreds, according to Iraqi lawmakers.

“The situation has deteriorated significantly because most of the services have been stopped,” said Aliyah Nassif Jassim, a member of parliament from the Iraqia bloc, who recently visited the district as part of a parliamentary delegation. “Many civilian homes have been destroyed as a result of the air strikes and the military operations.”

A fragile four-day ceasefire agreement between radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government signed on May 12 has reduced but not halted fighting in the area, a Shia neighbourhood run by Sadr militiamen. The US military has maintained that Iranian fighters are supporting Sadr loyalists there. Iran has denied having a military presence in Iraq.

Salih al-Agili, an MP loyal to Sadr who lives in Sadr City, said more than 100 houses have been destroyed by the continuous skirmishing and air strikes since the outbreak of hostilities more than a month ago.

The district lacks an adequate water supply while medical provision and the sewage system have gone from bad to worse, say lawmakers. Trash has not been collected for weeks and is piling up in the streets and around houses.

Hospitals are short on electricity and small public and private clinics have shut down altogether. Government spokesman Tahssin al-Sheikhli said that six hospitals in Sadr City were temporarily closed during fighting because the militants used them to launch attacks.

He said more than 900 people have died and more than 2,600 have been injured – including civilians – since the fighting began. The government said it would use the ceasefire to allow aid to flow into the area.

While the government and military are claiming success in fighting terrorism and militias – and have gained popular support in their efforts to battle Sadr’s Mahdi army – some are critical of the tough stance taken by US and Iraqi forces.

“The air strikes have proven to be useless,” said Kurdistan Alliance MP Mahmood Osman, in reference to the US bombing raids on Sadr City. “Civilians are hurt the most. Israel tried it in Gaza, and it didn’t work.”

The reporter is an IWPR-trained journalist in Baghdad who asked to remain anonymous because of security concerns.

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