MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Fear of unwittingly offending Al-Qaeda executioners hung for months over the residents of Iraq's northern town of Mosul, where even an innocent cucumber could earn a street trader death.
The list of "sins" that could offend Al-Qaeda was long and, often enough, not explicit until the offender found himself a target for "execution".
The jihadists had banned barbers from using electric shavers. Beauty parlours for women were bombed, while restaurants were not allowed to serve men and women in the same dining area, said hotel owners and residents.
Even the juxtaposition of tomatoes with cucumber on a vegetable stall offended one extreme jihadist who saw in it an attempt by the vendor to pass on a sublimal sexual message.
Now, after two weeks of Iraqi security operations in the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Mosul, 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, Al-Qaeda is on the run and residents say they are relieved.
In one quirk of the extremists, the use of ice was banned -- apparently because it did not exist at the time of the Prophet Mohammed. Ice factories were put in cold storage and dozens of people lost jobs.
Ice factory owner Khalaf Abed Al-Hadidi said he was forced out of business by the Al-Qaeda.
"The criminals prevented people from using ice," Hadidi said. "They prevented production and sale of ice in Mosul from last year. Last summer was tough for us, but we couldn't use the ice factory."
Smoking and alcohol was banned in Nineveh province which was known for its Arak, a favourite alcoholic spirit made from dates.
Some hair stylists were publicly killed by Al-Qaeda operatives, according to those who managed to keep their head down. Smoking became more dangerous for vendors than the smokers, with cigar sellers being targeted for attack.
Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said that the continuing operations in the province had led to the detention of 1,030 suspects. He believed another 2,000 Al-Qaeda members may have fled.
"They are on the run. They can't organise their work and we will not give them a chance," Askari said.
Some of those fleeing the crackdown in Nineveh had sought refuge in the towns of Kirkuk, Ramadi and Tikrit, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away, and even in the capital Baghdad, he said.
Mosul resident Bab Al-Toob said he was happy that restaurants were open and vegetable markets were flourishing after the latest offensive by security forces.
Restaurant owner Hashim Abdullah Al-Hamdani said two of his employees had been killed by Al-Qaeda because his establishment served both boys and girls from nearby colleges. His son was wounded.
Barber Atta Sadoun, 29, is back in business.
"They threatened to kill me if I used an electric shaving machine," he said adding that Al-Qaeda had also decreed that men's facial hair should not be removed.
He was forced to place a sign outside his saloon saying he was using only scissors and no electric shaver. Several of his colleagues had been killed because they had failed to comply, he said.
For Mosul university teacher Bassem Al-Juburi the time of Al-Qaeda was one of fear as it was also for retired teacher Um Mohammad, 58, who said her daughter daren't go to school for fear of Al-Qaeda.
"The residents of Mosul lived in fear throughout the year," said Juburi. "They were forced to stay at home. Outside, explosions and the sound of tanks, helicopters and warplanes could also be heard."
Nineveh governor Duraid Kashmoola is happy to see the back of Al-Qaeda, whose presence kept the local population of 1.5 million, including Iraq's largest concentration of Chaldean Roman Catholics, in a state of anxiety.
"Al-Qaeda used dreadful killings, abduction and arson against everyone," Kashmoola said, adding that more than 10,000 families had been displaced by the violence during the last four years.
Life is slowly returning to normal, say residents, with restaurants, Internet cafes, salons and barber shops open and wedding parties again being held.
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