Iraq Diaries
Following the Bombs
By Doug Johnson, Iraq
Peace Team
27 March 2003
Im overwhelmed and
tired. For three days now Ive concentrated on visiting injured
civilians in hospitals and seeing bombed sites. This morning I accompanied
April to the Al Kindi Hospital where we interviewed an extended family
of 25 that had been living in six houses together on one farm just outside
of Baghdad. At 6:00 PM yesterday, B-52s dropped cluster bombs on their
farm, destroying all six houses, killing four and severely injuring
many others. Even the farm animals were killed. We were told that yellow
cylinders landed in their yard, and when they and the animals crept
closer to investigate, the bombs detonated. The father of one of these
families, Saaed Shalish, age 36 a farmer, lost two sons but he
has not yet been told. Doctors tell me that hes in critical condition.
I also met Ali Jasem, age 8, whose farm house was destroyed by a missile
and whose father was killed from decapitation. Ali received surgery
to remove shrapnel from his head.
Later, April and I met Ishmel Shakir Kareem, age 60, who is a low income
day worker who was a passenger in a car that was knocked over while
driving through the Shallal Market area of the Al Shaab District
of Baghdad. The bombing occurred at 1:30 PM yesterday, and I have just
returned from the bombing site. This is an impoverished area of houses
and small shops far removed from any military targets. The bomb struck
the median between the parkway, breaking nearly every window on the
street, demolishing and burning a ramshackle auto repair shop, gutting
a small diner and destroying the apartments above it. Sitting next to
the bombs crater in the median are a number of car remains. Crunched,
mangled, and scorched car frames give testimony to the bombs indiscriminate
destruction. At the hospital April and I were told that 5 people died
in that attack. On the street, however, people insist the deaths reach
15 or 16.
I also met Hasem Hamid Shakir, age 26, who was injured in another bombing
in the same district of Al Shaab. He sustained injuries to his
left leg from quarter-size shrapnel that penetrated his car as he was
driving. He claimed to have witnessed a whole family burn to death inside
their car, and claimed that a school had been damaged by bombs. Today
I witnessed that site as well, and I can verify Hasems story as
true. A bomb was apparently detonated above a residential home next
to a school, tearing apart the houses top floor with shrapnel
and breaking most of the schools windows. Im told that the
US media is claiming that Iraq is bombing their own people to frame
the US, but I dont buy it. Bombs are dropping on Baghdad as I
write this, and Im willing to wager theyre not Iraqi bombs.
Lets get this straight. The US is waging war on Iraq and has been
for the last 12 and a half years. US bombs are dropping everywhere.
They have even broken windows in my hotel. These bombs are not that
smart.
Earlier today I also met a number of Syrians who claimed to have been
bombed by Apache helicopters while riding in a caravan of three busses
from Syria to Baghdad. The attack, they say, occurred at the 160
K Station next to a bridge. Allegedly a helicopter bombed the
bridge, causing the vehicles to stop suddenly and collide with one another.
As they scrambled to exit the vehicles, the buses were bombed.
As they waited to be rescued,
their buses were bombed again. According to Abdul Malik Tutangi, age
45, 16 civilians were killed and 19 injured in the attack.
Yesterday I visited another home destroyed by a US bomb in a residential
area. The home was a half block from a school and about three blocks
from the hospital. Because of the weather, visiting this site was like
walking on another planet. After the intense sand storm the day before,
white powder seemed to linger in the air and settle in places almost
like snow. Breathing became difficult. Visibility became null. My clothes
stained from white specks. Windshields became blurry and smeared. The
sky took on colors Ive never seen before in my 43 years. Every
Iraqi Ive talked to says theyve never seen anything like
it. The sky was yellow on one horizon and orange on the other. Street
lights radiated a fuzzy, phosphorescent green. I kept looking around,
thinking what is this? Whats going on? April and I
speculated that the US may be experimenting with a new weapon or messing
with the atmosphere, and although this may sound outlandish, after enduring
US bombing for a week and then seeing surreal colors in the sky, its
easy to imagine the two are connected.
Now that the sky is clear, bombing has intensified. Several large explosions
have just shaken the building. Its funny, but you actually get
used to it. The only affect it has on the Iraqis is that it pisses them
off and they cant wait for the US soldiers to arrive on the ground
so that they can put up the fight of their lives.