I have read that the occupying troops of the U.S. were walling off sections of Baghdad and other cities to stop the violence. I had no idea that the walls were this high. At breaks in the walls there are soldiers manning check points to control who comes and goes from a particular area.


Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is insisting that a time table for the withdrawal of U.S. troops be included in the any security agreement between Iraq and the U.S. The U.S. is under pressure to complete the agreement by December of this year because the U.N. agreement for U.S. to be in Iraq expires then. Not that that will deter Bush who has plans for permanent military bases in Iraq.