The Fifth Column employs the status quo

BC:

In AL Jammy'h quarter (Hai AL Jammy'h) - a middle class residential area in the west side of Baghdad - the security situation has been reduced to zero level, and the following status quo has emerged:

1. Original families lock them selves behind doors at 4 in the afternoon and never leave their homes until the next morning.
   
2. Grocery shops selling fruits and green vegetables are permanently closed after a few of their employees had been killed. It is forbidden to sell fruits and vegetables.
   
3. Barbers shops are permanently closed after killing a few of them at their shops’ doorsteps
   
4. It is forbidden to sell Ice; the iceman was murdered.
   
5. It is forbidden to sell Mobile phones; the Mobile phones stores are not allowed to open their doors.
   
6. It is forbidden to sell CDs; the CDs stores are not allowed to remain open for business after being bombed and sabotaged.
   
7. It is forbidden to sell electricity power. The generators men are not allowed to work and 2 brothers who were selling power and did not abide by the rules were murdered (Generators are sole provider of electricity to homes since the state’s electricity is available for 1 hour each 4 hours).
   
   

Civilian gunmen driving Opal and BMW made grey-colored cars help maintain the current status quo - kidnapping, Spray Shooting, Happy-trigger killing, mugging, personal assaults etc.

One of the surviving kidnapped people says that the kidnapers had squished him forcefully against the car's floor under their feet whenever the kidnapers’ car reached a control point. He adds that when they reached the hiding place his head was seriously injured, so they took him to a male nurse to mend his wounds. He said they are in control of their surroundings, and have a hide-out close to the place where they do their criminal activities!