Snow blankets Iraq's Baghdad city first time in 12 years

Baghdad - People in Baghdad have woken up to a sight not seen in over a decade: their city covered in snow.

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Iraq has grappled with months of unrest, beginning with an anti-government protest movement which engulfed the country in October, and the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad in early January, which brought the region close to war amid soaring US-Iran tensions.
“Thank God it is snowing this morning,” said Aymen Ahmed, a protester. “The atmosphere is beautiful ... the people are very happy because this is the first time snow falls in Iraq.”
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Annual snowfall is common in the mountainous northern region of Iraq, but very rare in Baghdad. The last time the capital saw snow was in 2008.
The movement is entering a critical phase, after influential cleric Muqtada Al Sadr, who initially threw his weight behind demonstrators, withdrew it. Tensions have since seethed between protesters and al-Sadr’s followers.In the city’s central Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement, protesters took a moment to observe the snowfall and dusted the flakes off their sit-in tents.
The last time the capital saw snow was in 2008.
By midday, the snow had melted in most parts of the city. “It was a beautiful moment,” said Mariam, another protester. She gave only her first name, fearing reprisals like most anti-government protesters.“Now life goes back to normal.”
AP

Published: Tue 11 Feb 2020, 4:01 PM

Last updated: Tue 11 Feb 2020, 6:55 PM

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