Thread by @tcambanis

I’m going to share a few snapshots and moments along the way during my visit to Iraq, to provide some color.

I’m reporting for a forthcoming book that asks: What happened in Iraq after America invaded in 2003, and what broke around the world as a result of that war. #Iraq

The last few days I visited Najaf and Karbala. Here some pilgrims rest in the plaza outside the Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf at midday, with the temperature at 117 degrees Fahrenheit. #Iraq #Najaf

A family takes a deceased relative to the shrine of Imam Ali before burial in the Najaf cemetery. #Iraq #Najaf

Perfume and jewelry for sale by the Imam Ali entrance. #Iraq #Najaf

No guns allowed in the alleyways near the shrine. #Iraq #Najaf

Sunset over the Euphrates in the village of Abbasiya, outside Najaf. #Iraq #Najaf

Light lunch in Najaf, while at the nearby Grenada Hotel, stuffed animals guide the way to the cafe. #Iraq #Najaf

Finally, some thoughts about the viability of the Iraqi state from a few people I interviewed today in a dispatch for @WPReview #Iraq #Najaf #Karbala

worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/29…

If it’s behind a paywall, some of the most poignant quotes are here in screenshot.

Continuing some daily life snapshots.

Shopping for cakes on the outskirts of #Baghdad. #Iraq

More sweets. #Baghdad #Iraq

This cafe (my first time) has a humidor full of Cuban cigars and excellent espresso. #Baghdad #Iraq

The cafe bookstore features Mein Kampf. #Baghdad #Iraq

This Baghdad supermarket wishes us happiness, it appears.

Kids selling ice on the roadside in #Mosul, #Iraq.

Nuts, #Mosul, #Iraq.

Sunset on the Mosul-Baghdad highway.

Evening before Eid at Cafe Reef, Karada, #Baghdad, #Iraq.

Shoeshine? Karada, #Baghdad, #Iraq.

Relaxing with fully air conditioned desert views, #Baghdad, #Iraq.

Heat, on the highway, north of #Baghdad, #Iraq.

Beiji refinery at night, #Iraq.

New statue of the worker, Old City, #Mosul, #Iraq.

Evening in the Old City, #Mosul, #Iraq.

View of what was once the bustling built-up riverbank of the Old City, now completely destroyed, from the East Bank of #Mosul, #Iraq.

In and around Mosul I spoke to many people about the aftermath of the ISIS period. Most were rebuilding their lives, a very few pined for the Caliphate.

worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/29…

Raha and Bashar stayed in the Old City during ISIS rule and survived the seige and liberation. They returned as soon as they were allowed and hope their community comes back.

Here are screenshots of what Raha and Bashar told me, from my @WPReview story.

It's hard to fathom the scale of the destruction the Old City. Entire blocks of homes and shops destroyed, a haunting and standard feature of urban battles in this century.

Is this a tragic, unavoidable feature of urban warfare, or an act of collective punishment?