Saturday, March 20, 2010
Associated Press
BAGHDAD
Seven years after the first bombs in the war to oust Saddam Hussein, Iraqis went about their business Friday with little observance of the anniversary, looking to the future with a mixture of trepidation and hope.
Perhaps more important in the minds of many was the ongoing wait for final results from the country’s second nationwide parliamentary election. The milestone will determine who will oversee Iraq as U.S. forces go home, but it also could point the direction the fragile democracy will take down the road — deeper into the sectarian divide that followed Saddam’s fall, or toward a more secular, inclusive rule.
“Now we have democracy and freedom, but the cost was dire, and Iraqis have paid that price,” said Raid Abdul-Zahra, 38, a technician in Najaf.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition appears to be ahead in the tight race. With almost 90 percent of the vote counted as of Thursday, his coalition was leading in seven of Iraq’s 18 provinces compared with five provinces for his closest rival, the Iraqiya coalition led by secular Shiite Ayad Allawi. Al-Maliki’s coalition also has about 40,000 votes more in the overall vote count.
Many, especially among the country’s Sunni minority that dominated Iraq during Saddam’s rule, blame the U.S. for the sectarian violence that erupted after the invasion.
“Failure is the word that should be linked with the U.S war. The Americans brought people to power, but those people are specialized in reprisals, blackmail, inflaming sectarianism and robbing,” said Mohammed Thabit, a retired teacher from Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit.
Though violence has plummeted since the height of the bloodshed in 2006 and 2007, attacks continue, although in much-smaller numbers.
On Friday, at least five people were killed across Iraq.
Many Iraqis view the U.S. withdrawal plans with mixed feelings — pride that their country is regaining its full sovereignty but also concern that the lull in violence may break and bloodshed return.
Others think the violence will dissipate after the U.S. pulls out.
The U.S. military said there were no ceremonies or special events to mark the anniversary.
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