BACKGROUNDERS: BAGHDAD NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT: WASHASH AND ISKAN
The neighborhoods of Washash and Iskan are located in the northeast corner of the Mansour Security District in Baghdad. These historically mixed areas lay on the fault line between Shi'a-dominated neighborhoods to the north in Hurriya and Kadhimiyah and Sunni-dominated neighborhoods to the west and south, including the Sunni strongholds of ‘Adl, Jamia, Khadra, and al-Mutannabi. As such, they have witnessed vicious sectarian cleansing by Shi'a militias and reprisal operations likely conducted by Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) or other Sunni insurgent groups.
