Mike Ferner

12-ft. high concrete blast walls appear unannounced throughout Baghdad. These block off the formerly busy Abu Nuwas St. which runs along the Tigris River and was home to many open-air fish restaurants. To the left of the walls are the Palestine and Sheraton hotels, home to many foreign contractors and target of several rocket attacks from resistance fighters. During and immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government, the Palestine housed many foreign journalists, and it was here that a U.S. Marine tank fired into a room, killing a Reuters photographer.

Photo by Mike Ferner