Ahmad Saad al-Khazerji, 25, dreams of obtaining the necessary documents from the International Organization for Migration, which would allow him to travel out of the “land of explosive devices,” as he called it. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he acknowledged that he will be “overjoyed when the gates of Baghdad International Airport open to allow his departure, but not without a mix of some sadness about leaving the country.”

The part of Khazerji’s story worth noting is that his every move is dictated by a fear of bombs — the terms booby trap, explosion and suicide vest are a permanent fixture of all his conversations.

He finds no shame in covering his ears to protect them from an imaginary explosion, faintness and queasiness permeating his body so frequently that he is compelled to seek futile psychiatric treatment. He explained, “Intense fear grips me as I feel myself losing control over my actions,” unable to discern whether a real and imminent threat exists or not.

Khazerji’s mental breakdown, in fact, reflects a slowly progressing loss of confidence in himself and the future, as a result of the successive wave of bombings exchanged between Sunnis and Shiites. The latest of which involved consecutive explosions that occurred on Sept. 27 near two mosques located south and west of Baghdad.