Middle East

Across Baghdad, a moment of respite and guarded hope

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this Feb. 10, 2019 photo, people eat in a restaurant at a shopping mall in Baghdad, Iraq. For the first time in years, Iraq is not at war. The defeat of the Islamic State group in late 2017 after a ruinous four-year conflict has given the population a moment of respite, and across the capital Baghdad there is a guarded sense of hope. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

In this Feb. 13, 2019 photo, children play at a park in Baghdad, Iraq. For the first time in years, Iraq is not at war. The defeat of the Islamic State group in late 2017 after a ruinous four-year conflict has given the population a moment of respite, and across the capital Baghdad there is a guarded sense of hope. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Baghdad's main commercial district has seen more bombings than its residents can count. Death visited almost daily during times of war — most horrifically, a 2015 suicide bombing that ripped through two shopping malls, killing over 300 people.

But over the past year or so, streets lined with food stalls are crowded with shoppers, coffee shops and restaurants are packed until late, and the grey cement blast walls that protected against bombings are being removed.

For the first time in 15 years there is no major war or insurgency in Iraq, and the defeat of the Islamic State group in late 2017 after a ruinous four-year war has given the population a moment of respite.

Despite the enormous challenges ahead, there is a guarded sense of hope across the capital.