Five years ago

Five years ago, I was, as all Iraqis were, worried about the expected war which would take place whether we like it or not. I still remembered that day, which was only few hours before Baghdad had been bombed which was the sign of starting what is called the second gulf war. I was working with two of my brothers on digging a well in the garden for water supply in case we lack water supply in our houses during the war. We spent about five hours till we had the water in a hose made for that purpose. We were so happy for getting that achievement .After having that water supply, neighbours and then relatives asked my brothers to dig wells in their gardens to have water supply in their gardens for the same reasons .Brothers spent the next five days in digging wells getting gratitude from those people who got the wells with some money in pockets for the equipments they used and their efforts. Later that night, the war started having some spots had been bombed in Baghdad which was the sign of having that war and the beginning of Iraqi people suffering ever since. We were a dozen member family living in one house. I was the only member who had a permanent salary with about 3 dollars and a half per month while my three brothers were working in their work shop they have for cooling stuff. Neither me nor my brothers had any kind of financial source during that war, we were depending on our savings and it wasn’t so much and the damn war might take so long. Thus, I decided to sell my library which had more than 200 titles going to the Mutanbi streets, the same place which I got the books from ,to get some money which would help in that time. I sacrificed my books, which I spent about 20 years to collect, to have some extra money which was needed in that distress. I spent most of that money in the same day bringing food stuff which we had used during the coming three weeks. During that three weeks ,we had almost everything from food staff, water supply ,fuel and power supply ,but we were suffering from the explosions shocks which were everywhere in Baghdad, smoke of the black oil which was on fire in trenches made for that purpose by Saddam’s followers as a kind of interfering the missiles to reach their targets and the most terrible thing was the dust as a result of the wind coming from the western desert .The dust and smoke were so terrible especially for kids who were suffering from difficulties in breathing when the power supply was off and the windows kept closed . After seeing Saddam statue collapsed at Firdoos square in central Baghdad on April9th, we forgot all that suffering with great expectations to witness a new era of freedom and prosperity having no Saddam and his followers. Five years had passed since the multi national invasion head by the USA, but we had witnessed few positives factors including the space of freedom in society and raising the standard of livings for some governmental employees, but the negative factors are so many that made some Iraqis who welcomed the occupied forces wish to have Saddam’s regime back better than the recent days. Nowadays, we lack of power supply, water, fuel, reconstruction and other services .We suffer from corruption in all fields. We suffer from the unemployment. We lack the ration food stuff and its bad quality. The major thing we suffer from is the powerful parties and their mismanagement, abuse of power, discredit, maltreatment and bad faith. In the past we suffered from Ba’ath party who controlled the country with few names in power while we have now the two Kurd parties control Kurdistan region(north of Iraq)with their endless demands even in interfering the central government and we have the rest parties, religious and non religious ones, control the central and southern parts of Iraq. Shortly, in the last five years, Iraqi people get suffering more than the 24 years of those during Saddam’s regime. In the past, we have the mass graves hidden while nowadays we can see them in open streets. In the past we had Saddam and his security forces who caused that catastrophe while now we have the Qaeda , the gunmen, the guards of the foreign security companies and Iraqi officials , criminals and the USA troops who can cause death to anyone and anywhere in Iraq with or without reasons and it would be so hard and sometimes impossible to send them to court

Comments

[tony elsayed]

Look what Bush has to done to the usa and iraq unbeliveable mayhem caused our economy to be well on its way to crashing here in the U.S. and made Iraq a country that used to be beautiful with nice green, lakes, huge hotels and buildings, great people, a hell hole-a warzone if thats not a act of crime then i really dont know what is

[kaitlin]

my dad going in 2009 im worried so what do i do

[baffled 45]

So many of us in the U.S.A. pray for all of you and are truly sorry for your suffering and at the same time, pray for our military and the alliances who are there really to make a better and safer Iraq. There are sacrifices on both sides.

[Dwight D. Leister:Chair]

If you think its was bad then and now just wait until The United States Forces leave; when we return it will NOT be on FOOT!

I suggest you work to fix the problems in your country so that we can leave you in control of your OIL RICH COUNTRY !

[Jo]

I am very lucky to leave in a peacefull contry (still), but as a human been and cristian i cant be indiferent to this injustice or any other around the world. Too Much has been done misleaded and wronglly based on "moral and good will" is more real to say "lack of moral and personal interest of power"...people and countries wich doesnt believe on God, even though ther money said they trust him!...we are going to a point of no return and i pry for all of us to not allow our souls to be lost as well as our lifes

[annie]

when will it all end. sorry hardly say what i feel for the destruction if iraq and the iraqi people. i will say it anyway..sorry a million times.

so much shame for my country.

[RandyT]

What is the answer to this war? If the USA goes away, will all out war start between Iraq people? Can neighbors, Iran and onthers establish a peace/police force for the country?

And, how do you drill or dig a well there? Is the underground water near the surface?

[noor]

alsalam alaikom Mr.Hussian thanks 4 your full and real discribtion to what happened before 5years ago. Each iraqi was ready to that war but was afraid from it`s results (No one expected the rapid removal of saddam and his followers )My family was one of the iraqi families that began 2 store the food and dig the well and protect our selves from chemical weapones (u forgot that `cause we believed that saddam could do anything 2 protect him self RIGHT?????) .So today after 5 years with our recording :millions of iraqi outside their countries ,more than them was killed ,others was kidnapped,finally we must thank the God that we are alive until now!!!!!!!thanks 4 your efforts