Blogging from Iraq

One great thing about blogging is that it can allow access to first-hand information, unfiltered by conventional media. Currently there are a number of good blogs emanating from Iraq. Here are two.
Healing Iraq is written by a well-educated Iraqi dental student. An excerpt:
“Another incident my Aunt told us about yesterday which I didn’t hear about in the news yet. She was at the Iraqi Central Bank in the morning when suddenly all hell broke loose. Police sirens, IP, FPS, and American MP all over the place. They had captured six suicide bombers who turned out to be Morrocans with explosive waist belts trying to enter the bank. Since that area (Al-Rashid street) is closed to traffic, they couldn’t use cars to bomb it. I hope they can get some important information out of those desperate bastards. Oh, and don’t go asking me for news sources to back this up, if my aunt didn’t see that with her own eyes, I wouldn’t have written about it.”
Boots on the Ground is written by an American infantryman from Michigan who is stationed in Baghdad (but was transferred elsewhere earlier today). After the multiple bombings a few days ago he wrote:
“I can tell you one thing though, not a single Iraqi will tell you that Iraqis do this type of stuff, it is foreign terrorists that do this kind of stuff. Before I close this though, I want you to not let this give you a bad idea about Iraq. Right now, there has been ALOT of progress in this country. My Iraqi friend who works with the Military Police as a translator said they used to get 100 reports of car theft a day at their checkpoint alone. Ever since the introduction of Iraqi police, that number has dwindled down to 2 a day. The night time has become much more quiet and the electricity stays on much longer than it used to. Every Iraqi I talk to says everyone is getting really optimistic about the future of Iraq, and believe it will be the great nation it used to be. It is also really something to watch, a nation go from no government or social services to where it is now. I give it about 5 to 10 years before Iraq will become and light to all other Arab nations.”
Let’s hope he’s right.