What Life Is Like for the People of Baghdad

Editor’s Note: Farhad Jaff, 34, works in a government ministry in central Baghdad. He lives with his wife, son and mother near Palestine Street. As radical fighters from an al-Qaeda offshoot known as ISIL swiftly advance toward the capital, people are preparing for the onslaught. This is how Jaff, who's Kurdish, described current life in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD — People in Baghdad are used to living with violence and bad things. But this feels different. Everyone’s glued to the television. They’re on the Internet and YouTube, constantly following the news.

There are rumors the militants will get into Baghdad from the west and north, and many Iraqis are trying to leave the country by air as the roads have been blocked because of fighting between the army and the militantsISIL are like savages, wild animals. They will kill anyone because of their religion. They have no mercy. Read more...