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Iraq's growing grave market

As death has become even more a part of daily life in Iraq with the increasing violence and terrorist attacks, people started marketing plots at Al-Salam Valley cemetery, which holds religious significance.
A grave of an Iraqi soldier is seen at a cemetery in Kerbala, southwest of Baghdad, September 30, 2014. With the tide of deaths registered in Kerbala and elsewhere showing no sign of abating, some Shi'ites are starting to complain out loud that the government and army command are incompetent at best, culpable at worst, and covering up the true of extent of battlefield losses. Picture taken September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTR4995D
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BAGHDAD — The features of death are seemingly found wherever one goes in Iraqi cities. In Baghdad, walls are covered with black banners with names of the dead, some of whom were killed in the war against the Islamic State (IS). Of these, most were members of the Shiite militias fighting alongside the security forces. The banners also carry the names of people killed in explosions over the last three months, as well as the names of victims of the tribal battles that have recently increased. These usually start as minor brawls but can develop into large-scale battles.

Death has become even more a part of everyday life in Iraq as it haunts Iraqis on the streets, in squares and in markets, claiming the lives of hundreds of people on a monthly basis. The security situation has not calmed down since the invasion of Iraq in April 2003. Terrorist attacks against civilians are increasing in ferocity, and IS has seized about a third of ​​the country's area, imposing a gloomy, fear-filled atmosphere.

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