Bombing? World Cup's more pressing

This article is more than 12 months old

Jul 02, 2014 02:00 pm

He sits glued to a television in a Baghdad cafe, anxious over the dual concerns of his team trailing in a World Cup match and the danger of bombings.

Raad Abdulhussein sits quietly with three friends in the “Facebook” cafe, the silence only broken by shouts or clapping when the Netherlands advance toward Mexico’s goal.

“Football brings us together,” says Raad, a 30-year-old taxi driver. Due to the time difference, the matches are broadcast in the evening in Iraq.

This year’s World Cup comes as security in Iraq worsens. Sunni militants led by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group overran parts of five provinces in a lightning offensive that Iraqi soldiers and police are struggling to contain.

Cafes are especially dangerous places, as militants often target them and other places where crowds of people gather, including markets and mosques.