Ten days in Tojbi

The Washington Post has a very interesting article detailing how easy it is for sectarian violence to overcome a neighborhood. The story covers ten days in Tojbi, a neighborhood in north-central Baghdad, and details an escalation of sectarian violence that all began with a dispute over the price of ice.

"He was selling a block of ice for 20,000 dinars. Its actual price is 5,000 dinars," said Abu Mohammed. "When we told him he should lower the price, he slapped one of our guys. We didn't like that. So we beat him up as punishment."

Shortly afterward, unfamiliar cars started to drive toward the Egheidat section of Tobji, Abu Mohammed said. Then came the rumors: The cars were to be used for drive-by attacks or suicide bombings…"