Blast walls around Green Zone start being removed
297 views · Published 4 December 2018 · 1:17 · Indexed 31 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(28 Nov 2018) LEADIN: Iraqi authorities have begun removing blast walls around Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. It comes ahead of a partial reopening of the highly secured area for the first time since 2003's US-led invasion. STORYLINE: The removal of these cement walls symbolises a move by the Iraqi government to get closer to its people. They're being taken down from around Baghdad's fortified Green Zone in preparation for a partial reopening of the highly secured area. The US built a wall around the Green Zone in 2003 to secure its embassy and Iraq's government. But it has become a symbol of Iraq's aggressive inequality and fuelled the perception among Iraqis that their government is out of touch. The reopening of the Green Zone came upon directions from Iraq's newly elected Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi who moved his offices outside the Green Zone once elected. Major General Hamed Jarallah al-Lami explains: "We have removed around five to six hundred cement walls and reopened three kilometres of a main road leading to al-Jadriyah bridge. This will help to reduce traffic congestion in the Karada area." Previous Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi had also ordered the zone reopened in 2015, but it was sealed off again after only a few days. Baghdad's fortified Green Zone is the home to the US embassy, Iraq's parliament, government offices and foreign entities such as United Nations agencies. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b18629b3a58945aeb925cbf2789f96b2
