http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4564659.html<snip>But talking to ordinary Iraqis on the street is no simple task.
We approached the shop's cashier. But he politely declined to answer questions, putting his hand to his chest in apology and saying that he didn't want to be seen associating with Americans. That, he explained, would make him a target for the insurgents hiding on the outskirts of the city.
It told him, through the interpreter, that I understood the situation and didn't want to cause him any problems.
A tall man wearing a black traditional Arab robe and a red-and-white checkered headdress stopped outside the store and agreed to talk to us. I asked him about the situation in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.
As he started to answer, we heard a burst of machine gun fire. A bullet from a sniper struck a pile of bricks in front of us. We all ran back into the store.
After about 10 minutes of sporadic fire, the shooting finally stopped.