U.S. To Evict Homeless Iraqis From Public Buildings

Homeless and jobless Iraqis, who have taken over the abandoned governmental buildings following the ouster of Saddam Hussein, stand helpless before the U.S. orders and do not know where to go.

Asked about the American decision to boot them from public buildings, Gharib Hassan answered "I am defenseless and so I will leave if they force me. But what would they do in this place? There’s only nightmares and ghosts.

"I have 10 children, and since I’ve been married I’ve never been able to offer a roof over the heads of my family," he lamented.

In the wake of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, homeless Iraqi families annexed Iraqi government buildings, including prisons and military camps, and reshaped them into residential areas after the U.S.-led air strikes had razed their houses to the ground.

Al-Rasheed military camp is now rife with signs reading: “family apartment” and “please, do not disturb.”

Mortada al-Rabei and his family told IslamOnline.net correspondent they had to reside in the onetime camp because they could not afford renting a flat in Baghdad as prices skyrocketed after the end of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

“Getting a job under such hard times is a far-fetched dream…We cannot afford flat rentals, so we have settled here until life is back to normal in Iraq,” Rabei said.

Abu Gharb military camp has completely changed into a residential area with “family apartment” emblazoned on every door.

Likewise, children were playing football in the lawn of Baghdad University Agriculture College’s Ibn Rushd chemical laboratory, while their families appeared to take fixed abode in the lab’s premises.

“There are some 27 families residing here…we have not anyplace to go,” some children told IOL.

“The U.S.-led air strikes left many Iraqi families homeless,” said 14-year-old Abdul Latif.