Green Zone
The Green Zone (
History
Pre-2003
The International Zone was a heavily fortified zone in the center of the Iraqi capital that served as the headquarters of successive Iraqi regimes. It was the administrative center for the
Invasion of Iraq (2003)
The area was taken by US military forces in April 2003 in some of the heaviest fighting during the capture of Baghdad. In the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq, Saddam and many high status residents of the area were evacuated because of the anticipated aerial bombardment of the area by US forces. Most of the remaining residents fled as US ground forces closed in on the Iraqi capital out of a fear of arrest by Coalition forces or possible reprisals by disgruntled Iraqis.[3] Some of the original inhabitants who did not flee continued to live in the area but many are also undocumented squatters referred to as the "215 Apartments".[4]
Coalition airstrikes at the outset of the fighting left a sizable number of buildings in central Baghdad abandoned. The Coalition Provisional Authority administrators who arrived on the heels of the forward invading forces decided they were ideal for use by Coalition administrators.
The abandoned buildings were not only attractive to Coalition forces, but also to homeless Iraqis.[4] Among these were individuals who had lost their homes in the conflict, but most were urban poor who had been homeless or lived in slums before the war and saw moving into the abandoned houses as a sizable increase in their standard of living. They felt that since they were not Ba'athist, they had as much right to the vacated houses as the Coalition authorities. As of 2009, there continued to be some five thousand of these Iraqis living in the International Zone.[5]
Under Coalition Forces control
The area came to be known as the Green Zone during the
The Green Zone was the governmental headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority that oversaw the public administration of the country during 2003-2004, as well as managed the first democratically held elections in 2005.
Entry to the Green Zone was under the control of a small garrison of American troops who manned the various checkpoints. They were typically a battalion of soldiers at
The Green Zone was completely surrounded by high concrete
The Green Zone was frequently shelled by insurgents with
Handover to the Iraqi government
Since the handover of sovereignty to Iraqis, many of the facilities in the Green Zone have been turned over to the new Iraqi government. A number of embassies are located there. The largest embassy in the world, namely, the
On 1 January 2009, full control of the International Zone (formerly "Green Zone") was handed over to Iraqi security forces, though the Zone remained off-limits to the public.[11] This changed on 4 October 2015, when it was opened to the public with certain restrictions,[12] and again on 10 December 2018, when parts of the Green Zone were opened to the public without restrictions for the first time in over 15 years.[13]
2020 Rocket Attack
On 8 January 2020, following the assassination of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, two Katyusha rockets struck within the Green Zone.[14]
Notable sites
Public Administration
- Council of Representatives
- Council of Ministers (The General Secretariat)
- Prime Minister Guest House
- Supreme Judicial Council
- National Security Council
- CTS headquarters
- Independent High Electoral Commission main office
- Commission of Integrity
- The Republican Palace, former Royal Palace
- Unfinished addition to Ba'ath Party Headquarters (Location of trial of Saddam Hussein) – pictured in gallery, below
Embassies
- U.S Embassy (largest embassy in the world)
Gates
- Assassins' Gate
- Al Quds Gate (or Jerusalem Gate)
Hotels
- Al Rasheed Hotel
- Al-Mansour Hotel
- Rixos Baghdad Hotel (under construction)
Landmarks and Squares
- Unknown Soldier
- Victory Arch
- Grand Festivities Square
- Baghdad Clock
Gallery
-
Al Quds Gate
-
Republican Palace
-
Unfinished addition toBa'ath Party Headquarters (location of the trial of Saddam Hussein)
-
Mosque inside Green Zone
-
U.S. Embassy
References
- ISBN 978-0-300-11015-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8050-7911-1.
- ^ Langewiesche, William (November 2004). Welcome to the Green Zone Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. The Atlantic.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84162-243-9.
- ISBN 978-0-307-27944-6.
- ^ Nordland, Rod; Williams, Timothy (July 28, 2009). Iraq Force Soon to Be a Coalition of One Archived 2022-09-05 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times.
- ^ a b Baghdad Green Zone Archived 2019-09-11 at the Wayback Machine. GlobalSecurity.org.
- ^ Lipman, Jana (2008). Guantánamo: A Working Class History Between Empire and Revolution. University of California Press. p. 221
- ^ Holihan, Michael (2007). The Epiphany Deception. Xulon Press. p. 74.
- ^ Stone, Andrea (May 2, 2008). "Mortars, rockets raise Baghdad tensions". USA Today. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Londoño, Ernesto (January 1, 2009). "At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone opens to public". BBC News. October 4, 2015.
- ^ "Baghdad's Fortified Green Zone Opens to Public After 15 Years". The New York Times. December 10, 2018.
- ^ "Small rockets land near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone". CNN. 8 January 2020.
External links
- Editorial: "Reading Press Releases Live From The Green Zone". The Common Ills. 10 September 2005.
- Interview (Transcript): Johnson, Nicholas ("Nick"), ed. (July 31, 2012). "The Nature of the Beast: Interview with a Contractor". Shadewhile.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- Interview (Transcript): Rajiv Chandrasekaran (September 18, 2006). "Live Q&As: Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone". Washington Post.
- Interview (Video): "Washington Post's Rajiv Chandrasekaran discusses life in the Green Zone along with his book, Imperial Life in the Emerald City". ScribeMedia.Org. December 20, 2006. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.