Recent articles by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad http://journalisted.com/ghaith-abdulahad en-gb The official British view of Basra: It's absolutely booming! http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/iraq.military Major General claims port city is thriving, with house prices doubling and new restaurants opening 2008-08-15 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/iraq.military Hizbullah takes control of west Beirut http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/09/lebanon.syria1 Eleven people killed in street battles as government supporters forced into hiding 2008-05-09 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/09/lebanon.syria1 We're fighting for survival, says Mahdi army commander http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/28/iraq1 Senior commander in the Mahdi army says militia is fighting a battle for survival in Basra against a rival Shia faction seeking to obliterate it ahead of September elections 2008-03-28 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/28/iraq1 Dreams of reaching Europe grind to a halt in Beirut ghetto http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/21/iraq.lebanon Rabi'a is one of two million Iraqis who have ended up in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon in the hope of making a better life 2008-03-21 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/21/iraq.lebanon 'My wife said I had to stop the jihad. I divorced her. Fighting was my duty' http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/iraq1 To mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, the award-winning journalist returns to the city where he was born to interview Iraqis 2008-03-19 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/iraq1 Shabby, tired and scared - the pupils who know all about the word 'enemy' http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/18/iraq1 To mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, the award-winning journalist returns to the city where he was born to interview Iraqis 2008-03-18 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/18/iraq1 Death, destruction and fear on the streets of cafes, poets and booksellers http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/17/iraq1 To mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, the award-winning journalist returns to the city where he was born and lived for 30 years 2008-03-17 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/17/iraq1 When night falls, the assassins gather in Hayaniya Square http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2212585,00.html In the second of two Iraq dispatches, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad chronicles life in Basra following British troop withdrawal 2007-11-17 00:00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2212585,00.html