When I talk about the detecting devices of the Iraqi security forces, I can't ever imagine in any way that they are real ones because I have been in many embarrassing situations because of them and the last one was only three days ago.

    On Thursday, I went in a three hours trip to of the southern provinces. I went to the garage and I got in a mini bus. The trip started after a while. At the beginning, we had to drive slowly because of the crowded street of Baghdad and the security check points. The bus in which I was passed through many different check points and everything was fine because no one suspects a mini bus full with people. After awhile we reached one more check point and the guys were very calm. When the policeman was passing beside the bus, the aerial of the device detected something. The policeman asked "any of you have a gun?" No body answered. Then he asked "any of you wear perfume or have perfume in his or her bag?" Again, no one answered. he asked the driver "did you wash the car lately?" The driver's answer was negative. At the end the policeman asked a strange question "do any of you have a tooth filling?" I was surprised by the question and to be accurate, I was shocked and said 'yes, I do have" and I opened my mouth pointing to one of my tooth. The policeman looked at the filling and told the driver to go.

    Since the security forces brought these devices, I have seen so strange incidents but the last one is the strangest at all.

    I don't know if these devices are so good to the extent that they can detect the simplest metal thing or very bad to the extent that they can detect anything but not bomb but if they are so good, then how did the car bombs swept Baghdad the last month?

        Yesterday was my day off. For me the day off means a day in which I do all the delayed missions. One of the most important missions that had been achieved yesterday was visiting the dentist. The bad news was having problems with fives teeth. The good news was an appointment to treat them one week later.

        When I came back home, my cousin's wife said "we are better than you, now we have a thief." I replied ironiaclly "congratulations" and then asked her about the thief she is happy with. She told me to see what my uncle bought. I found nothing but a new electrical water pump bigger than ours. She came in and asked me "did you see the thief?" I said no and it looked like a joke for her because she started laughing. When I asked her about the reason, she said "Its in your hand, the new water pump. The merchants call it the thief because its very powerful and it can provide water even if the supply is not good."

        During Saddam's regime, Iraqis used to suffer the law level of public services. After the collapse of the regime, we were so optimistic that the new governments and the Americans would reconstruct the facilities of the public services infrastructure but until now nothing happened.

        Its really strange that the people of the two rivers country need to use water pumps and thieves to steal water from the two big rivers.

        In Iraq, we have five different security departments. the ministry of defense, the ministry of interior affairs, the ministry of the national security, the advisory of the national security and the intelligence agency. Yet, many bombs happened during only few days in Baghdad and other provinces.  I know it is not easy to control the security situation completely but I don't really understand how this big number of explosions happened in few days with all these security forces. People started feeling afraid of returning back to the 2006 and 2007 days when the sectarian violence swept the country.

        Some Iraqis believe that the main reason of the last violence wave are the detainees who were released by the American forces while others believe that alQaida returned back after almost two years dormancy. Regardless the real reason, the wave brought nothing but more sadness and sorrow to the Iraqis families that lost their members in the explosions. The strange thing is what our government does. The government did nothing but consoling the families of the victims without investigating with any security official about these security violations.

        Hopes of having new Iraq fade day by day. The only hope we have now is the prayers of good people everywhere.