March 10, 2005
Hilla
Yesterday I visited Hilla to evaluate the police and witness first hand the damage of the February 28th bombing - more than 120 Iraqis died and over 170 were injured. It was the most devastating day of bloodshed since the war ended. The photos below were taken in the central market where the explosion occurred. The entire city is draped in similar black memorial banners. 
March 04, 2005
Falluja On the Rebound
Falluja has made huge improvements since the Minister's last visit in December. People are on the street, markets are open and police are on the beat. Lots of work remains but the city is heading in the right direction. 
Me with Hassan a.k.a "Vito the Gangster" - now if he will only get his finger off the trigger... 
The streets of Falluja are now coming back to life. Over 40,000 people have returned since the city was fully reopened on January 17th following the November offensive. 
It was great to see shops like this open all around Falluja. A bottle of Coke cost me one US dollar. Ahhh, it is good to be ripped off no matter what part of the world I travel to. 
