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Zoriah: War Photographer Diaries - The Checkpoint

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We are on a mission in Sadr City to inspect some of the checkpoints along the newly completed wall. The first part of the mission brings us to the infamous Jamilla Market, an outdoor stretch of shops and home to some of the worst fighting in the entire war. The market suffered heavily and many shop owners are now facing repairs that they could never possibly afford. It has made an impossible situation even worse for many.

Iraq Diary -- The Checkpoint

The new checkpoint is nothing more than a gap in the wall allowing individuals to pass after being thoroughly searched and often harassed. We watch as one US soldier violently pokes a man with metal detecting wand, asserting his power and control in an inhumane way. One of the soldiers in my platoon comments on how he is out of line and doing a disservice to the Army, but nothing is said or done to stop it and we continue on our way.

zoriah_iraq_war_baghdad_sadr_city_wall_merchant_shop_damage.jpg

Walls and checkpoints are usually a recipe for human rights violations and cruelty, but for the moment the checkpoints at least offer hope for the merchants to recover, and for the residents of Sadr City to purchase necessities such as groceries and other supplies. As usual, the individuals struggling to live their lives in between the two sides at war suffer the most.

zoriah_iraq_war_baghdad_sadr_city_woman_shopping_soldiers.jpg photographs and words by Zoriahwww.zoriah.com

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Zoriah: War Photographer Diaries – Into the Mouth of Madness

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Into the Mouth of Madness

words and photographs by Zoriah

It’s mid afternoon and the sun is struggling to find its way through millions of tiny particles kicked up in today’s sand storm, casting a yellow haze and ominous glow across Baghdad. I am with a platoon of US Army soldiers. We are gathering our flak vests, helmets and protective gear and heading out to a group of armored vehicles.

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(click here to read the rest of Zoriah's diary entry)

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Silencing Memory: Torture And Disappearance In Iraq

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Silencing Memory 1  
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