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BAGHDAD
A neighborhood group faces off with looters
By Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff, 4/13/2003
Jabouri is clearly not a hardened fighter. His belly bulges under his T-shirt, and his crown is bald. But the rampant looting that has broken out in the city since the government fled last week forced him and his neighbors in Karada to take action. "When the thieves finished with the government buildings and the schools, they started to come into our homes," Jabouri said. "We will protect ourselves." At a corner of Karada Street, several dozen men -- armed with guns, chunks of concrete, and twisted pieces of metal -- inspect passing cars. They politely wave at Iraqi families, US military personnel, and journalists. But when someone passes with looted merchandise, they turn savage. "Excuse me," Jabouri said in the middle of a warm conversation. "We have business." He crossed the street, where the neighborhood watch was dragging a man from a pickup truck, to kick him senseless and teach him a lesson. All this is done with the blessing of the local cleric, Imam Faris Jaber al-Halo. "We want the American Army to know these people are not fighting them," Halo said. "They are establishing security in their own neighborhood." In Karada, the makeshift security force seems to have made a difference. Yesterday, bakeries and shops had reopened, women were shopping, and many of the checkpoints had been disbanded. "We don't need the Americans to protect us," Jabouri said. "We'll protect ourselves."
This story ran on page A39 of the Boston Globe on 4/13/2003.
ahed al-Jabouri is one of the friendliest gun-toting Iraqis. ''I want people to know that not all Iraqis are lawless and violent,'' he said one recent afternoon as he set down his AK-47.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
