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We present two pieces from our Iraqi correspondant. The first is a reaction to the escalation of military tension after the Azores summit and is followed by a description of life in Mosul, Iraq's northern city

What is going on? - Mar 17



Is everybody here going mad?!



I was on duty for the last couple of days, today I went to the markets, and they are empty!!!



I mean there is nothing in the markets. Everybody has taken whatever they have to their homes or to a safer place, because they are all afraid of being robbed.



I haven't seen the city in a state like this before, even during the 1991 war.



And the second thing, the people are kissing each other good-bye!!



I visited a friend who has a computer shop. It was empty, and he is the only thing in the shop except his phone.



He kissed my cheeks good bye, and said that we may not see each other again! Can this be true?!



Only God knows.



My city, Mosul - Mar 15



It is the 2nd largest city in Iraq after Baghdad and it lies in the north of Iraq.



It is a strategically important place that it is close to both Turkey (100 km from the Turkish border) and to Syria (150 Km from the Syrian border). Its name in Arabic means "The Connection".

Mosul, Iraq's northern city

It lies over some hills, which are of low heights. Population of this city is about 3 million people. The city is famous in Iraq for its fine weather; they say that it has 2 springs because winter here is like spring, to some extent.



In summer it is quite hot here; temperature may reach 50 degree C. In Winter the weather is good, and in spring it is excellent. Nowadays the weather is fine; everybody is used to going out in the weekends.



This spring is different. Nobody is going to go for picnics, because everybody fears the bombing.



I remember few days ago a family was going out for a picnic when suddenly the war alarms started.



A few minutes later an American plane was bombing some ground defences which was nearby the family.



Children started to scream and run hysterically, one of the family members had fracture of the left leg by a shell, and whole the family suffered from varying degree of psychological disturbances ranging from terror to continuous crying.



People of Mosul are somewhat conservative compared to other Iraqi people. Rarely you see here a young female without the Hijab, which is the Islamic costume.



Mosques here are found in large numbers, you can reach 250 mosques in the city alone without going to the nearby districts.



Traversing the city, is the Tigris River, it is very nice, the water is so clear. It starts from Turkish lands and runs along the mountains to Iraq.



The water level in the river decreased during the last few years, after the building of large numbers of dams in the Turkish lands.



In Iraq, only one dam crosses the river before it enters the city, it is called Saddam dam. Another one is small called Badoosh dam constructed to protect the first one.



They say that if America will hit the dam, the whole the city of Mosul will sink! Even Baghdad may sink too!!



The city has large numbers of surrounding farms. You can see the city in spring time in the pictures attached.



The entertainment resources are very little, or not present at all. There are only 3 swimming pools, and one (gasping!!) luna-park. The only nice place to go out is the Ghabat, which means the forests.



In facts they are not forests, but a little number of trees. The trees number was reduced dramatically during the last 1991 war.



People were cutting the trees in order to burn the wood as heating mean, to cook food, and to warm water for bathing. It was a great loss.



Today, the temperature is 15 degree C. and the weather is sunny, but who know, tomorrow may come with storms, bombs and Americans!!!