A well-known to Iraqis local singer rhapsodized the US troops' exit from his beloved Baghdad city as he sang a song that made thousands of cheered Iraqis cried with tears during a massive celebration in Baghdad on Monday.
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Iraqi policemen stand guard at a checkpoint in Baghdad June 29, 2009.[Xinhua]
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Salah Hassan, an Iraqi singer in his thirties, vocalized his happiness to return to Baghdad he loved and said he will walk in its old and popular street of Saadoun as he and all Baghdadis used to do before the US-led invasion in 2003.
"I am here to celebrate the great and historic day. I came to share the pleasure of my people," Hassan, who lives abroad told Xinhua as he was heading to the stage in Zawraa Park, the biggest in the Iraqi capital.
Jubilant people have to pass checkpoints and endure tight security, where banners declared that Iraq's sovereignty and independence have been accomplished for Iraqis, while other banners praised the hope for better future saying "at the day of sovereignty, we light the candles of joy so we can build better future."
Suhaiylah, a 60-year-old woman, said she heard about the massive celebration from the television and brought a five-year-old boy who is the son of her daughter that was killed with her husband in one of the deadly car bombings in Baghdad six months ago.
"My daughter left for me five of her sons, this is one of them. She was a poor woman who worked hard with her husband at their stall in Bab al-Sharji area when the blast took them away," Suhaiylah said with tears filling in her eyes.
"I came here to celebrate the exit of US soldiers, and I brought this orphan boy to remember this day in the future which I believe is the day of new life. I feel it is time to look forward for better future," Suhaiylah said.
Dozens of children wearing colorful clothes and some holding colored balloons came to the park and joined the celebration called on by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to celebrate the "great victory" of the foreign troops' pullout.
Rawnaq Mohammed and her husband, in their twenties, were pushing the stroller of their two-month-old daughter Masarah. They approached the celebration spot but not very close because they don't want their little daughter to be annoyed by the loud voices.
