Baghdad nights are full of menace. The smoke of looted, burning buildings turns the sunset blood orange. Once darkness falls, tracer fire arcs across the sky like red fireworks. It's dazzling but dangerous. One recent salvo came down on a gasoline tanker, setting off an explosion that killed a man and injured several others.
When the sun goes down, the streets empty quickly. Curfew unofficially begins at 11 p.m., but few drivers, even those earning dollars from foreigners, stay out that late. One learns to fear the shadows that move. Gunfire punches holes in the city's eerie quiet. Two sharp cracks...