Baghdad – The Iraqi Interior Ministry and the Baghdad Operations Command have developed a security plan for Eid al-Adha that would cover cemeteries, markets, amusement parks and places of worship over fears of terrorist attacks that could target Iraqis and Baghdad residents in particular.
Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Saad Maan said during a press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters on Thursday that the plan was based on “securing protection for shopping areas, places of worship, entertainment and cemeteries in Baghdad.”
He added that the plan included “preventing the passage of motorcycles and vehicles in crowded places and the closure of some roads during the days of Eid.”
On a different note, Reuters reported that markets in eastern Mosul have returned to normal, packed with visitors as residents prepared to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which comes after the city was taken back from the grip of the ISIS.
People began to flow slowly back to the homes they had abandoned during nine months of war between Iraqi government forces and militants, hoping to restore the daily life they had before the fall of the city in the grip of the terrorist organization.
“This year’s Eid is better than last year,” Bassem Mohammed, a Mosul resident, said.
“ISIS has been expelled and people can celebrate again,” he added.
The United Nations estimates the initial cost of reconstructing Mosul at over one billion USD.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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