Iraqis celebrate end of decade-long curfew in Baghdad

As midnight on Saturday evening approached, Iraqis gathered in the streets of the capital Baghdad to celebrate the lifting of an decade-long curfew.

The streets erupted with cheers and the sound of car horns beeping triumphantly. Flags were unleashed and draped around cars and lampposts, as the city’s cafes buzzed with excited patrons who gathered to smoke shisha, drink coffee and eat late into the night. It was the first night in almost 10 years that Baghdad, once a city known for its never-ending bustle, could roar on past midnight

"Long live Iraq!", one young man shouted while hanging out the window of a passing car early on Sunday.

It was the first night in a decade that Baghdad residents could stay out as late as they wished, after Premier Haider al-Abadi ordered an end to the curfew that had run from midnight to 5:00 am. It was introduced in 2004 to try to stem the growing violence that ripped the country apart in the wake of the US-led invasion to topple former president Saddam Hussein.

"Before, we felt like we were in prison," said cafe-owner Faez Adbulillah Ahmed. "We were restricted. We would have to leave by 11:30 pm ... to reach the house by 12," he said. Now, "we will be free to stay."

Groups made up largely of young men danced in the streets as music blared from the open stores and cafes.

"We were waiting for this decision for years," shop-owner Marwan Hashem said of the ending to the curfew. Before, "when it was midnight, we would never stay out in the street," he told AFP.

(Translation: Baghdad residents roam freely at night after the lifting of the curfew)

(Translation: Dancing in the streets of Baghdad … after the lifting of the curfew that was imposed years ago)

While the night went off without incident, the security situation in the city remains tense. Three separate bomb blasts rocked the capital on Saturday just hours before the curfew was lifted. At least 37 people were killed and 70 more injured.