Inside and outside the Baghdad Green Zone, it was as if there were two worlds—fire and ice.
There were over a dozen entry and exit points in the Green Zone. Entry wasn't just a matter of passing through three security checkpoints—it also involved navigating a corridor lined with barricades designed to slow traffic and prevent suicide car bombings. Usually, one or two Humvee armored vehicles would be parked at the exits, and a crucial entrance might have an Abrams Tank stationed. The machine guns atop the tank and Humvees aimed at every approaching person and vehicle.
