The Circuit (43 page)

Another violent day in Ramallah. West Bank, 2002.

An IDF patrol rests on a street corner in Ramallah. The Russian-Israeli soldier put the gun to my head approximately 600 metres from this location. West Bank, 2002.

Palestinians rally in support of Yasir Arafat during Operation Defensive Shield. Ramallah, 2002.

The bridge leading to Basra where ITN’s Terry Lloyd and his crew were apprehended by the Fedayeen. Basra, 2003.

The destroyed Iraqi ammunitions truck where young children were playing with live shells. Basra, 2003.

Statues of Iraqi generals who commanded during the Iran-Iraq War lining the Shaat al Arab waterway. The statues were torn down by the British following the 2003 invasion. Basra, 2003.

A motorway sign indicating we’re not far from Baghdad city centre. I first saw this sign driving to Baghdad from Amman, Jordan, when doing so was still considered reasonably safe. Abu Ghraib, 2004.

First light outside the Palestine Hotel, surrounded by rings of physical security. Baghdad, 2004.

A view of a mosque from behind the security of the Palestine hotel. The statue on the right replaced the statue of Saddam Hussein that was pulled down by US troops following the fall of the Iraqi capital. Baghdad, 2004.

An old man dressed in traditional Kurdish clothing. Northern Iraq, 2004.

What remained of Nabil’s restaurant, a favourite among westerners, including journalists, after it was attacked by a suicide car bomber. The incident was a wake-up call for internationals who believed they were somehow immune from Baghdad’s escalating violence. Baghdad, 2004.