There’s another surge taking place in Iraq this weekend…
A surge to the parks.
The Eid al-Adha festival in Iraq has given US troops a chance to show a different face. (BBC)
A young Iraqi girl chooses a toy souvenir at Zawraa park in central Baghdad, Iraq Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. Residents of Baghdad packed the capital’s parks and amusement rides on Saturday, taking advantage of a lull in violence and the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha to venture out of their homes in droves.
(AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
The recently opened Abu Nawas park in central Baghdad was also a popular destination. (BBC)
An Iraqi soldier pushes children on a swing in central Baghdad, Iraq Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
Men dance in al-Zawraa park in central Baghdad. A ceasefire by the Shia Mehdi Army and moves by Sunni tribesmen to oust al-Qaeda have helped reduce violence. (BBC)
A ferris wheel towers over Iraqi women and a child at an amusement park in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. Iraqis gathered in parks and enjoyed amusement rides on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)
And one more…
Iraqi teens dance in Zawraa park in central Baghdad, Iraq Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. (AP)
Thanks BG!