In Iraq, they couldn’t care less

Iraqis traumatised by violence barely heeded the US election on Wednesday as a suicide bomber attacked a US checkpoint near Baghdad airport ...

Iraqis traumatised by violence barely heeded the US election on Wednesday as a suicide bomber attacked a US checkpoint near Baghdad airport and kidnappers seized five more foreigners, including an American.

After President George W. Bush clinched victory over Democratic challenger John Kerry, one Iraqi in a Baghdad restaurant said it was time Washington altered course in Iraq. ‘‘We hope the American President will change his policy towards Iraq…because Iraq is oppressed and can’t remain occupied,’’ said Salem Shummari.

‘‘We are too busy with our own problems, these explosions, this lack of stability, these saboteurs, to be bothered about the election of this person or that,’’ said Georges Butros, at his grocery shop in Baghdad. ‘‘You can never tell what politicians are really like until they’re in office anyway.’’

Story continues below this ad

Earlier in the day, while Bush seemed close to defeating Democratic challenger John Kerry, many Iraqis kept their TV sets tuned to religious programmes during the month of Ramzan.

‘‘US policy will not change, whether Bush or Kerry is in the White House, so it’s all the same to us,’’ said Raad Fadel, at a shop selling musical instruments in Baghdad. ‘‘Will Kerry turn occupation into liberation? No. Has Bush kept his promises? No. Whoever wins we will be at their mercy.’’

With more than 1,100 American soldiers killed in Iraq since the start of the war and more than 138,000 US troops now deployed there, Iraq has been a divisive campaign issue.

‘‘They are fighting for the presidency of America but all I care about is what the winner will do for my country,’’ said Mustafa Nouri, 50, a merchant from Basra. ‘‘I support whoever will pull the American troops out of Iraq.’’

Story continues below this ad

While many Iraqis are grateful to the US for getting rid of Saddam, they complain crime is so high they can no longer go out at night, while power cuts persist.

Even Iraqis who took an interest in the election said they did not expect endless bombings, abductions and killings to stop soon whoever wins the race to the White House. ‘‘What we want from this election is that the winner delivers for the Iraqis and puts an end to the suffering,’’ Adnan Nicholas.

Baghdad carpet shopowner Marwan Mohammed also said US policy would not change whatever the result. ‘‘But I’m rooting for Bush because he’s the only one who got rid of Saddam.’’ Ibrahim Khalil, from the carpet shop next-door disagreed: ‘‘They are all the same but I’d prefer Kerry because it’s good to vary the flavour.’’

But some Iraqis said they were more concerned with what they hope will be Iraqi’s first free elections in decades, scheduled for January but threatened by violence. ‘‘We have realised that US policy does not change with presidents,’’ said Hashem Yousef, a beekeeper from Basra. ‘‘What I care about is elections in my own country.’’ —Reuters