The Brutal History of Haifa Street
Haifa Street (2008): Haifa Street has long been a symbol of the chaos of Iraq, but has it finally turned a corner? For similar stories, see: The Grim Reality of Life Outside the Green Zone in Baghdad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqHV7azk_80 The Jihadi Freedom Fighters Decimating the Ranks of Al Qaeda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqPy2mvA0U Is Iraq Ready to Return to Self-Governance? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1voKJeqVmc Subscribe to journeyman for daily uploads: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=journeymanpictures For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/film/3861 Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeymanpictures Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JourneymanVOD https://twitter.com/JourneymanNews Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/journeymanpictures For many years Haifa Street has been held up as a measure of the disaster unfolding upon Iraq. Sectarian kidnaps, car bombs and acute deprivation were commonplace. But now there are signs that change is afoot. Haifa Street was once home to the Baath Party s most senior officials, but with liberation it became embroiled in the bitterest of sectarian fighting. "It was a ghost street. No human life. Only snipers and killing and slaughter and corpses. And wild dogs which had grown used to eating human flesh." Saad al-Anbaki witnessed much of the fighting in the area. "Iit was the first time I saw human bodies cut up like that." He blames the Al Qaeda foreigners for radicalizing Sunni against Shia: "you could either follow the orders of the insurgents, or die." Things got even worse as the US invaded alongside the Shia dominated National Guard, as bloody sectarian cleansing developed out of the chaos. But by this time, the embattled locals had had enough. They formed an Awakening Council, taking on the Al Qaeda foreigners. "For them," explains Saad, "it was survive or die." Today we sit with them sipping tea on a rooftop, watching a game of street football, and it is clear that they have indeed survived. Saad tells us proudly, "the street has a bloody history but now its rising up again." Out There News – Ref. 3861 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world s most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world s top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you ll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.
