An eyewitness account of the bombing of Iraq during Ramadan, 1419 (12/98).
Voices in the Wilderness
A Campaign to End the Economic Sanctions Against the People of Iraq
Reflections from VITW' 19th Delegation - December,1998
19th Delegation Members
Kathy Kelly, Anne Montgomery, Alan Pogue, Brad Simpson
Saturday, December 19,1998 - Day 1 in Baghdad
As we cross the border into Iraq, soldiers note our USA passports, shake their heads, andgrin. "Americans! I'm going to kill all of you," shouts an officer, as we driveoff. His friendly laugh is our first encounter with a gallows humor that seems to helpIraqi people cope with inescapable danger. Yet Sattar, our driver, has already told us theintense bombardments of the past three days terrified people. "All the walls, theyshake," he says, "and the children so frightened, they scream and cry. But whatcan you do? In Baghdad, even a maternity hospital was badly damaged. Now the people feelnobody, no place is safe" Sattar, a civil engineer now working as a full-time driver,risked his life to drive thirteen hours, from Baghdad to Amman, to meet us and then returnon the same road.
Six hours after crossing the border, we reach Baghdad. A first stop is at theBusinessman's Center, where we can still phone people in the USA. Familiar faces smile insurprise when we walk in, and several young women workers politely ask Alan, "How areyou?" "I'm tired from a very long trip," he says, and they suddenly burstinto nervous giggles, exclaiming, "Oh, you'll sleep tonight!" A rush of Arabicfollows and soon they are laughing so hard that they begin to cry.
Sattar takes us to visit Karima and her six children. They are just settling down to sleepin the room they all share. The oldest child, 11 year old Fatima, appears unusually weary,but the younger ones are typically gleeful and very excited to see us. Suddenly a youngman enters, saying "Yella, yella, ..." as he points outside. Sattar calmlytranslates, - "The bombing, Ms. Kathy, it has started." Outside Karima's home,we join neighbors who gesture at what seems like fairly distant fireworks. The childrenare more interested in hugging us good-bye than in the beginning of tonight's bombardment.
Anxious to let Sattar return to his family, we hurry off to finish checking in at the AlFanar hotel, a few blocks away. Explosions continue, but the hotel workers seemnonplussed. "Welcome, you are welcome," they say, hoisting our bags on theirshoulders. Rooms are assigned, passport numbers entered, the usual routine. One of ourteam members, Anne Montgomery, was in the Al Rashid hotel during four days of bombardmentduring the Gulf War. She lived through some of the worst bomb attacks on Sarajevo in thesummer of 1993. "You know you can't do anything about it," she says. "So ithelps to attempt preserving some sense of routine, all the while trying not tocrack."
Anne had remained at the Al Fanar when the rest of us went to check on Karima's family. Assoon as the bombing started, two hotel workers steered Anne down to their 'bomb shelter,'a dingy, cluttered basement. There the trio sat, smiling and quiet, Saad and Kamal anxiousto protect Anne. When Kamal knelt for his evening prayers, forehead to the ground, Annefelt the basement transform. "I realized we were in a very holy place," shesaid.
Hosain, the wonderfully jolly cook, and Qasam, a young maintenance worker, offer to takeus to the rooftop instead of the basement. They light candles and guide us up six flightsof stairs. We pass Saad and Kamal, who methodically open the sliding glass doors that wallthe hotel restaurant. This will reduce the pressure on the plate glass if a bombexplodes nearby. Up on the roof, as anti-aircraft fire pierces the night sky, Qasam'sanimated renditions of his personal slugfest with Bill Clinton send us into spasms oflaughter. "America, you, good," he assures us, "but Qasam see BillClinton," - he instantly strikes a prizefighter's pose and jabs his fist into theair, a knockout blow.
By now, the street below, normally a busy thoroughfare, is nearly empty. Occasionally, acar races by at top speed. En route to Baghdad, many Arab people anxiously wondered aloud,with us, "Would the US bomb Iraq on the first night of Ramadan?" Bracingthemselves for a fourth night of bombing, Baghdad's residents have an answer.
Notes from Yarmouk Hospital
Notes from a visit to the Yarmouk hospital where we met Dr. Gasim Ghelar Risun. His leftjaw is broken, he has lost hearing in one ear, and he has huge bruises on his forearm andforehead. His eye is also badly bruised and the left side of his face is paralyzed. Gasimand his family were sleeping in the living room of his home when a missile crashed throughthe wall. The missile didn't explode and he, his wife, and his three children were able tocrawl out of the rubble. His wife and one of his daughters are also hospitalized. Susan,age nine, was hit in the head by a piece of flying cement and is under the care of aneurosurgeon. His other children (1 1/2 years old and 20 days old) were not harmed.
Gasim's huge eyes are filled with sorrow as he recalls his war stories of the past eightyears.
In 1991, just after the Gulf War, Susan was exposed to radiation and she also drankcontaminated water. He took her abroad for medical help and her treatment lasted threeyears. Gasim has lain awake now for six days, unable to sleep, and much of that time hasbeen spent worrying about Susan who was hit by a huge chunk of flying cement.
Gasim has a Ph.D. in engineering which has helped him find work in both the US and Russia.He has two wives, the second of whom is Russian.
"Clinton has no right to use Iraq's children to cover his personal problems." hesays. "It's not possible that a complete nation should be punished."
We visit his home in the Al Adil section just outside of Baghdad proper. Immediatelybehind his attractive three story home is a mosque. We see no signs of any militarytargets, only a wide stretch of residences. the bomb entered into Gasim's home through thefirst floor window. In the hospital, he had told us, "You'll think that I storedchemical weapons in my home,...you won't believe what you'll see."
The beds are broken, children's toys are strewn about, with a doll lying on a pile ofrubble. The ceiling fan is broken and the clock, also broken has stopped at 4:40 a.m., thetime when the bomb hit. The bathroom sink and toilet are broken into several pieces.
Fadila is Gasim's niece. She and her mother have worked for days to push the broken cementand heaps of dust into one pile, ...
Christmas Day - Al Deir village, just north of Basra
Sajad, a four year old child, is held by his brother on the rooftop of their home. Most ofthe windows were blown out when a bomb hit the nearby microwave station that served as atelecommunications center. The blasts were so frightening that all of the neighbors begantogether to wail and cry in sheer terror. Little Sajad still has trouble eating and triesto fall asleep sitting up. He seems to fear that if he lays down the bombing will resume.
Outside the home, Karim, a tall young soldier, joins us. He was very fortunate to havebeen sleeping in the room next to the one hit by the bomb, in the telecommunicationscenter. He was not harmed. Neighbors then bring us a fragment of the missile, a big chunkof metal, quite heavy, with a serial number printed on the side. An unusual Christmasgift...the initial round of bombing in Operation Desert Fox was referred to as "thefirst package." This portion of the package, 'delivered' at 4:00 a.m. while thevillage slept, caused 12 women to abort their babies. One person suffered a heart attack.People in the nearby homes screamed and cried in terror as their windows were shattered.Some speculate that more money was spent on the 400 cruise missiles that were firedagainst Iraq in the combined "packages" than will be spent in repairing thedamage.
But no amount of repair can bring back the aborted babies or take away the traumainflicted on children.
At the clinic nearby, we talked with Zahra, a tiny woman who for the past seven years hasworked as a midwife. She said that she has learned how to maintain control at the clinicduring these crisis situations because they have faced crises again and again during theyears of warfare and sanctions. Asked if she had any children of her own, she said sheprefers not to bring a baby into Iraq at this time.
At Al Deir and in each of the other villages we passed, bright, large flags waved in thebreeze, representing each of the tribes in the village. Special tents were set up as well,to help with tribal meetings. Each tent bears a picture of "the leader,"apparently a sign of unity and support.
We asked a father in Al Deir if his small children know who Bill Clinton is. "Ofcourse they know he is a criminal!" was the heated response.
People ask us if Bill Clinton will bomb again. We don't know. The doctor traveling with ussuggests that the US may want to deplete Iraq's resources, to keep bombing until there areno communications left.
Basra Pediatrics and Maternity hospital, Chief Resident Dr. Abdul Firas Abbas:
"We heard that 70% of the American people were for the attack. I want to hit everyAmerican citizen. Now, we are completely responsible to end the embargo ourselves. You canonly transfer the disaster by pictures. This last attack generated the aggression inmyself. Tony Blair is glad that Iraq has no power to hit back and says the embargo willcontinue. they have no heart--for the oil, they kill the children, kill the future. Whatabout the children? they are harmed psychologically, educationally, nutritionally. We needeverything, - knowledge, connection with the outside world. What is the quality of ourlife?"
Alan shows him a copy of a recent article about a previous visit to Basra, printed in apeace movement newsletter. Firas points at the newsletter's heading: "Austin Peaceand Justice." "Where is the justice?" he asks. "You want the oil. Takethe oil. But don't kill our children."
Archbishop Kassab:
Archbishop Kassab was in Baghdad the evening of the first day of the bombing. That night,he got in his car and drove six hours back to Basra. "I wanted to be with my dioceseduring this time. They wanted me to be here."
- Christmas day - speech to Iraqi News Agency after he left the church, exiting from themain ceremony walking arm in arm with the Imam.
--Clinton went to Bethlehem and asked to see the site of the manger. did Jesus tell him togo and bomb Iraq? Christians must be ashamed of this. There is no difference whether youare Christian or Muslim. It's how you act. Do Christians pray for peace and then, insteadof sending gifts, send missiles. Clinton celebrated by lighting a Christmas tree with1,000 lights. today we have no electricity in Basra. We don't want to beg from America.
Notes from December 20 visit to Red Crescent head Dr. Alwash:
I told Dr. Alwash about our banner and that we wanted to take it to the Dijla school wherewe would ask children what it meant to them. the banner shows a woman crouched over herchild, as a bomb descends labeled sanctions. "this is what happened to me; mydaughter came to my home, and she had her infant with her. She crouched over him on thefloor and put a black scarf over his head, and stayed that way while all the windows wereblown from our home. Do you know this new type of bomb from above? The building stands,but the insides are destroyed."
Notes from December 20 visit to A Liqa maternity hospital:
The windows are blown in, the air conditioners are broken, - this hospital is immediatelyacross the river from the old ministry of defense building; patients were terrified, womenscreamed, babies cried, - it started at 4:00 a.m. and ended at 6:00 a.m., In the operatingsection, six of ten windows were shattered; all of the windows of the library section ofthe doctor's house we blown out
Bounia, a cleaning woman, heard a big sound at 4:00 a.m, she stayed in her room; thedoctors stayed inside - all were badly frightened; some wounded people came for help. Hermessage to the US "Thanks to them for these bombs. All this war and we stay in ourplace."
Notes from patients at the Mansour children's hospital of Medical City:
--normally only children are treated here, but adults were admitted because of theemergency
Khalid Adil, 32, was visiting his mother in another wing of the hospital. He has a brokennose, broken ribs--message for US - wishes man more have the same feeling we show tohim--doesn't remember much of what happened to him after he was hit.
Wassam Ahkmad - 20 years old visiting another patient bomb exploded - he has shell wounds,both feet are bandaged, still in pain
At the Mansour hospital, entire wards were empty. "Kathy," said Sattar,"many people they expect that this is where there will be bombs because it is nearthe Defense or another target. so they take their patients out. If I had someone sick, Iwouldn't want to leave the patient here."
Patients were evacuated to another hospital.
Entisar- was in the kitchen doing dishes--her brother and she looked out during the firstnight of the bombing. They stood in a doorway. The force of an explosion ruptured herintestine, and she has had sporadic consciousness since then
Entisar Abdul Rahman 38 - the hospital lacks colostomy bags and the one remainingdisposable bag is being reused, at great risk of infection
"I am too anxious, can't speak. We are sorry . You are not the ones who do this tous.
Mother is with her, - she has only two children, both have been hurt, - the brother isalso hospitalized. "We are used to it. we can't do anything. We just thank God we arenot dead." She had one other son, a doctor, who was killed in the Iran-Iraq war.