Here are some more pictures from my travels around Baghdad doing route clearance. I've tried to show the contrast in living conditions within this city. People live in open garbage dumps in houses made of tin cans and plastic bottles, and then there are somewhat normal looking neighborhoods. The one thing that's a constant is garbage. It's everywhere. The picture with the children waving looks like a decent neighborhood, but what you can't see is the view behind where I took the picture from. There are mountains of garbage covering everything. Electricity is run with makeshift wires trailing everywhere.
I included the last picture to illustrate the IED problem. Look closely at the picture and you can spot 4 places where IED's have exploded. The route clearance business is deadly serious - this week has been especially bad for the young men who do it day in and day out. I'm lucky I only go out on occassion - these warriors get up everyday and go out looking for traps meant to kill them. The sad fact is, no matter how well trained and equipped they are, sometimes the worst happens......and the next day these boys load up and go searching again.
