Sounds like a good thing to fix, and show that these strangers (most in uniform) do bring something good for normal people. But then that's a topic for another forum.
Keep these rare glimpses into other cultures coming, I love it.
The woman in the distance, the one making those men turn their heads, doesn't seem to be traditionally dressed. Is Baghdad that more liberal than the surrounding countries, or is this a very shielded part of town.
Bart
Note the concrete barriers at the end of the street- this area is a compound we use out in Baghdad- not in the Green Zone- and it is entirely enclosed. No one gets in or out without going through security. That said, Iraq is not a terribly conservative place on the whole. Places like Najaf tend to be traditional, but Baghdad not so much. The woman in the photo is a co-worker, she is from Mauritius originally but is a US citizen. She isn't Muslim. The men around her are security. Out in Baghdad proper- even in this enclave- if she, I, or any other expat walks from one building to another we are accompanied by at least a couple of armed guards like the guys in the first picture.
In Afghanistan, if out in Kabul, I would wear a headscarf- it's the polite thing to do, and I'd get treated better for it. I wouldn't bother with one in Iraq. Jordan is much the same- not terribly conservative at all. Kuwait is more so, and in the Emirates most Arab women are veiled although they are for the most part wealthy and rarely seen. The Saudis won't let single women in, so I can't comment on that place but it's not on the list of places I would want to visit anyway!
Wendy