Respite from war brings guarded hope to Iraq’s capital

BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s main commercial district has seen more bombings than its residents can count. Death visited almost daily during times of war — most horrifically, a 2015 suicide bombing that ripped through two shopping malls, killing over 300 people.

But over the past year or so, the residents of Karrada have felt more normal than they have in decades. Streets lined with food stalls are crowded with shoppers, coffee shops and restaurants are packed until late, and the gray cement blast walls that protected against bombings are being removed.

“I used to go to school and come back home, nothing more,” said Rusul Mohsen, a 33-year-old middle-school teacher, seated recently at a storefront, sipping coffee.