An Iraqi vender works on setting displays of fresh fruit on Haifa Street in central Baghdad. The area had been a “hot-bed” of violence and extremist activity, but now demonstrates signs of normal day-to-day living due to Fardh Al-Qanoon. U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

Since temporary protective barriers have been raised to keep suicide bombers at bay within certain areas of the city, markets around Baghdad have resumed business and returned a sense of normalcy to the Iraqi population in local neighborhoods.

“Shoppers feel much safer [in the Rusafa District] going into the market now and they’ve actually seen an increase in the number of local citizens using that market,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Rudolph, assistant chief of staff of civil military operations for Multi-National Division-Baghdad. “It’s a perception or an attitude that the stigma of the random violence has lessened.”

Meanwhile, the Doura Market in Baghdad has also seen a significant difference.

According to Rudolph, Doura Market went from an unorganized street market of only a few dozen vendors to a thriving market place with more than 200 sellers.

Haifa Street was known as a “hot-bed” of extremist activity, but currently, it serves as a thriving market area.

“We’ve turned that around,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the deputy commanding general for support with Multi-National Force-Baghdad. “Now, we have a thriving market area, which is starting to grow, and a revitalization process that will make the Iraqis really proud.”

While Iraqi locals have felt safe enough to venture outside their homes, extremist elements still remain.

“They still remain periodically threatened,” Brookes said.  “You have to recognize that people who are performing well, especially in harmony, are often targeted by extremists who don’t want to see good governance ever come from here.”

While markets reopen for business, Iraqi locals are looking forward to other improvements such as electricity.

Intermittent electrical supply was not a new problem for the city’s population.  Baghdad never had electricity flowing to the six million residents 24 hours a day.  Electricity was a tool used by the Ba’athist regime to reward or punish the population.

“Areas favored by Saddam and his regime saw power longer throughout the day, but they still didn’t get power 24/7,” said Rudolph. “They had to use what they called the ‘generator men,’ who were entrepreneurs who had their own generators and supplied power to local neighborhoods for the ‘off power’ periods.”

More than $44 million, a quarter of civil military operations funds, are dedicated to 62 projects restoring power to Baghdad. However the provision of electrical power to Baghdad neighborhoods remains a function of governance.

According to Brooks, it would be the Iraqi government who will need to illuminate the Iraqi capital.

As electricity remains a top priority on top of economic revitalization, Fardh Al-Qanoon is expected to deliver the window of opportunity needed for Iraqi government officials to return Iraqi life to normalcy.

(Compiled from Multi-National Corps-Iraq news releases )

In other developments throughout Iraq:

Iraqi and Coalition forces detained one suspected terrorist and killed another terrorist Monday morning during raids in Baghdad.

Coalition forces detained 14 suspected terrorists in raids Monday morning targeting the al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader networks in Mosul and Karmah.