(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-31 09:13

Violence in the past six months has dropped by 60 percent, the US military has said.

But tensions are still rife and the anniversary of Saddam's execution reminded many Iraqis that violence is never far away.

A leaflet scattered in the Sunni north Baghdad neighborhood of Azamiyah and issued in the name of the outlawed Baath party once led by Saddam said that Sunday marked "the first anniversary of the remembrance of the crime of Saddam's assassination committed by the Americans and the Iranian agents they have collaborated with to carry out a fake trial".

But in a predominantly Shiite area in east Baghdad, people wanted to forget Saddam.

"I don't care so much for this occasion, but it was a black page and was turned over. We hoped that after his death matters would be better, but the result was the opposite," said Najim Jamal, 41.

As a Shiite, Jamal said violence got worse after Saddam's death before getting better.

Agencies

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