[标准VOA] 伊拉克的小生意重现生机(1)[080814]
About a year ago, in the Baghdad neighborhood of Ghazaliyah, it was too dangerous for this man to work outside on the street. The neighborhood was a battleground for Shi'ite and Sunni militias.
Stores closed and streets were empty except for gunmen and the victims of sectarian killings. In the past year, U.S. troops, U.S.-backed Iraqi volunteers, and Iraqi soldiers patrolling the streets have helped reduce the violence and stabilize the neighborhood.
The once prosperous area is filled with trash and sewage and lacks electricity. But that has not stopped this restaurant from opening or this barber from re-opening his barber shop.
He says the militias used to attack people but now everything is good. He wishes business was better but says people do not have much money.
Muthana Idan Kabul owns a tiny shop that serves tea in the Karkh area of Baghdad. He says during some of the worst violence in Karkh, insurgents stole his furniture and set his shop on fire. Today, people come here to catch up with friends, and of course, like this Iraqi policeman, to drink tea.
