Kidnap fears still grip Baghdad

As the families of five British men kidnapped in Baghdad mark a year since their abduction, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt examines the security situation in the Iraqi capital and how dangerous it is for Iraqis and foreign workers.

The security situation in Iraq has undoubtedly improved since last year, when sectarian violence and kidnappings reached new heights after the bitter fighting of 2006.

The US military says violence is down to its lowest levels in four years. However, that does not mean it is safe - for Iraqis or western workers.

There are no official figures for the number of kidnappings here, but estimates suggest that at its worst, up to 30 Iraqis a day were being taken; often for ransom by criminal gangs, many with links to the militias.

"Western workers remain reluctant to leave the protected Green Zone in the centre of Baghdad"

The recent improvements came first with the US military surge, and co-operation against Al Qaeda from Sunnis in Anbar province.

Then, in March, the Iraqi government sent its army into Basra city, a force of some 35,000 in total, including police units, to deal with the Shia militias there.

British soldiers have also returned to the streets of Basra, albeit in small numbers, to help mentor the Iraqi army and - where necessary - help to call in air strikes against insurgents.

Bombers and blasts

Over the past weeks, a fragile ceasefire has also held in Sadr City in Baghdad, where followers of the anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr have, for now, laid down their arms.

It remains unclear though how long the ceasefire may hold.

But western workers remain reluctant to leave the protected Green Zone in the centre of Baghdad.

The heavily-fortified area is home to the Iraqi government, US military headquarters, embassies and the UN - all living behind blast walls and a mass of checkpoints.

Its occupants only venture out amid the tightest security.

And even that does not necessarily protect them against the suicide bombers or roadside blasts that remain a daily part of life in Iraq.

They have made reconstruction and economic renewal in Iraq a slower and more difficult process than it might otherwise have been.