Sunni Baghdad Lies in Ruins as Shiites Rebuild

Insurgents target efforts to provide food, fuel, services

By Colleen Barry, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 26, 2007 12:05 PM CDT

(Newser) – Baghdad's Sunni neighborhoods are in collapse, lacking food, fuel, electricity and health care even as their Shiite neighbors have regained basic services, Alissa Rubin reports. In Shiite areas, the Mahdi Army fills in for the government by keeping order and organizing resources, but Sunnis now find themselves under attack both from Shiite forces and Sunni insurgents.

Government officials, Sunni and Shia alike, now refuse to travel into most Sunni neighborhoods, meaning food rations and medical supplies don't get delivered. And residents who collaborate with the government or attempt to open businesses are targeted by insurgents. "Sometimes they leave a note," reports Um Hint, a Sunni, "but sometimes they put a bomb in front of the shop."

Iraqi Army Demolishes Shopping Area in Tense Baghdad Neighborhood. (Getty Images)

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Sunni Baghdad Lies in Ruins as Shiites Rebuild

Insurgents target efforts to provide food, fuel, services

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Iraq • Islam • Middle East • sectarian violence • Sunni • Shiite • insurgents • Baghdad • Mahdi Army

MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Shiite al-Sadr Reaches Out to Sunni Rivals

Switch in tactics aims at hastening US withdrawal

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500

Deadliest terror attack since fall of Hussein

Morgue Stats Show Surge in Iraqi Killings

321 corpses found in Baghdad in first three weeks of May alone

Eight Dead In Bombing of Iraqi Parliament

Suspected suicide bomber was bodyguard of Sunni MP

Bill Would Put Ba'athists Back in Power

Aim is to woo Sunnis into Shiite-dominated government

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