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A sense of claustrophobia pervades Iraq’s Fallujah

Ibrahim recalls the anguished face of the patient who walked into his pharmacy, seeking anticoagulants to treat a blood clot that had formed in his brain. "[He] begged me for the medicine, but I didn't have it because the checkpoint was closed," said Ibrahim, who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym for fear of repercussions. […]

Sofia Barbarani writes for Al Jazeera:

Ibrahim recalls the anguished face of the patient who walked into his pharmacy, seeking anticoagulants to treat a blood clot that had formed in his brain.

"[He] begged me for the medicine, but I didn't have it because the checkpoint was closed," said Ibrahim, who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym for fear of repercussions. "It was so hard. I saw him crying as he left."

Access into and out of the Iraqi city of Fallujah through al-Suqoor checkpoint has been a major source of delays and frustration for local residents.