Iraq sandstorm blankets Baghdad

A sandstorm enveloped central Iraq, including Baghdad, on Friday, the first such weather event to hit the arid country this year.

In 2022, Iraq experienced more than a dozen sandstorms, an unprecedented number that was attributed to desertification.

Iraqis who ventured outside on Friday afternoon were greeted with the increasingly familiar ochre sky and unbreathable air typical of sandstorms, with AFP journalists reporting greatly reduced visibility and a film of dust covering cars and houses.

Driven by westerly winds, the storm moved from Al-Anbar province before reaching Baghdad and Salaheddin province by late Friday...[AFP]