Women fight new battle in Iraq’s restive corner.
In what was once one of Iraq’s deadliest areas, women who survived sectarian carnage and insurgency now fight a new battle to feed families whose menfolk have been killed, jailed or left jobless.
Violence has abated in the past 18 months in the infamous “Triangle of Death” hotbed of insurgent activity near Baghdad, but years of daily attacks in rural towns like Latifiya have killed scores of men and left the rest in prison or unemployed.
….Cultural norms mean that few among the town’s mostly illiterate menfolk have opted to help their women in the fields.
“There is no way to change our lifestyle. This is our fate,” said Um Sajad, 35, whose blistered palms reflect long hours on the farm. Her husband has given up hope of finding a job.
