SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Baghdad Green Zone set to open around the clock
Baghdad, June 3 (AFP) Jun 03, 2019
Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, home to the Iraqi parliament and US embassy, will be opened to traffic around the clock from Tuesday, the government said.

"From the first day of Eid al-Fitr" marking the end of the Muslim month of fasting for Ramadan, "the Green Zone will be completely open", Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's office said in a statement.

"By doing this, we are showing that we are convinced the security situation is better" in Baghdad, Abdel Mahdi told a news conference on Monday evening.

The Green Zone has been heavily fortified since the US-led invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, with nearly all Iraqis denied access to its 10 square kilometres.

It is where US forces set up their barracks before withdrawing in 2011.

The US embassy is still located in the zone, but a large number of staff considered "non-essential" were withdrawn in mid-May over alleged threats from Iran.

In recent months, the Baghdad municipality and special forces have removed thousands of concrete blocks surrounding the Green Zone and other parts of the capital.

A year and a half after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group, violence has fallen significantly across the country, especially in Baghdad.

The United Nations mission in Iraq has stopped publishing a monthly count of deaths from violence in the country.

Since Abdel Mahdi's appointment as prime minister in October, the weekly cabinet meeting has been held outside the Green Zone, while his official meetings still take place inside the zone.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
NASA Mars Orbiter Captures Volcano Peeking Above Morning Cloud Tops
Unexpected Dust Patterns Found on Uranus Moons Confound Scientists
Earth-based telescopes offer a fresh look at cosmic dawn

24/7 Energy News Coverage
UK nuclear site could leak until 2050s, MPs warn
ABC Solar Marks 25 Years With Grand Opening at AltaSea
UK plans solar 'revolution' for new homes

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Attacking Iran, Israel brazenly defies 'man of peace' Trump
Rubio warns Iran against targeting US over Israeli strikes
AI-enabled control system helps autonomous drones stay on target in uncertain environments

24/7 News Coverage
If people stopped having babies, how long would it be before humans were all gone?
UK's sunniest spring yields unusually sweet strawberries
Nations call for strong plastics treaty as difficult talks loom



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.