I came back to Basra from Baghdad the day the invasion began. I loved my city and was proud to be from there. It used to be a real crossroads of people and cultures, a place of warmth, beauty and elegance, generous-hearted and open to the whole world. Now, everything we loved about the city has been taken from us; it is not the place it was and I feel the bitterness of this loss. Um Mohammed, Basra