http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
The Aftermath
By Jo Wilding
Electronic Iraq
Tuesday 16 December 2003
"Those operations have nothing to do with Saddam. We don't love him
- he's killed and tortured people, but because they are invaders,
because they have occupied our country, they don't deserve to stay
here. Some Shia people started shooting in the air, but if anyone
has courage, he should write God's name on every bullet and fire
them at Americans. Every one is needed for the Americans, not for
the air."
"It started about 3pm in Fallujah. From the time it was
announced that Saddam was caught, until about 3pm, everyone was
astonished. There was no reaction, just waiting, to see if it was
true. There was a rumour that he was seen in Fallujah, so people
went out cheering. Explosions started, people demonstrated in the
streets, with lots of heavy firing till midnight, rockets, RPGs."
We rang Rafah in Fallujah. Her husband was a prisoner of war
for 17 years in Iran. "It's not just resistance and mujahedin now,
it's everyone. The mujahedin were holding their RPGs openly in the
street, not even bothering to hide them, not hiding their faces.
Everybody is in the street demonstrating so there are thousands,
you wouldn't recognize individuals.
"The Americans are using some kind of weapon, sort of small
globes of white light that split into smaller lights and as they
get nearer the ground it turns to gas. They're thrown out by
aircraft, a fighter plane rather than a helicopter. We don't know
what it is. People think it's a polluted substance or something and
some people think it's some kind of sleeping drug to calm things
down because they lost control of Fallujah and Ramadi yesterday.
The aircraft has a very loud voice which is working on people's
nerves, it's like sound bombs or something.
"The people took over the mayor's office and looted
everything. They burned the Islamic Party and the Al-Naseri party
buildings, throwing all the equipment out of the windows and
burning the offices. On Tuesday at 12, midday, they hit the train.
It was full of equipment and food for the Americans, and they took
all of that, so then the Americans started going into the town
today to try and take control.
"They only have troops in the mayor's office normally and the
rest of the troops are outside, because they were always being
attacked. Now they've taken a school as a base, near the main
street, and they took over the mayor's office again, a youth
centre, the train station and the police station, so those are now
occupied by the Americans and lots of soldiers and tanks are in the
streets, lots of checkpoints.
"The next few days are going to be hell. I sent my 2 girls to
school today and they were sent back. There was no school because
they were afraid for security, so they haven't been to school for
two days. We've had no electricity for two days and we can't go
shopping because everything has been burnt, even vegetables,
everything that was in the way was burnt.
"In Ramadi it started about 4:30 on Monday, after the rumour
spread from Fallujah. My family in Ramadi say the Americans are
using tear gas. There are lots of explosions and low flying. They
can feel it right on top of the houses. They are using sound bombs.
Resistance is increasing more than you could imagine. Lots of
people still believe in Saddam and won't leave him, especially when
they see him humiliated on TV. Whoever captured him is not better
than him."
Jinan Tahar, a primary school teacher in Al-Jaam'a, said "We
are celebrating because the slayer is gone that was torturing the
people for 35 years. I think he surrendered. I want the trial to be
in Iraq and the Iraqi people to try him because those are the
people he hurt. I wouldn't execute him because that would be a
relief for him. I would put him in jail for life so he can suffer
more.
"I think resistance will decrease because most of them were
with Saddam and now Saddam is captured they will fade away. I think
things will get better because they announced there will be more
focus on reconstruction now they are not distracted trying to find
Saddam."
Ghanim Al-Khayoun is the youngest son of the leader of Beni
Ased [Tribe of the Lions]. They are a Marsh Arab people from near
Nasariya and their marsh was drained. Ghanim is a history writer
and an intellectual. Many members of his family and tribe were
killed. He will be supervisor to whoever rules in Nasariya. He said
in Nasariya people went out on demonstrations to celebrate on the
first day.
"Saddam was a poker player. He gave an interview in 1990 or 91
talking about how you have to use your cards even if they are not
strong. You fake it and pretend you have strong cards. It was said
about a person from ancient times who was like Saddam that he acts
like a lion with me but in wartime he acts like an ostrich. In Iraq
in general, we have the habit of showing our muscles, trying to
prove we are strong, but whoever shows off will lose from the first
fist. His children died with more honour than him.
"I don't just blame Saddam but the Iraqi people as well who
supported him through fear or love or greed. I wouldn't call those
people 'resistance' and they will fade away now Saddam is gone. I
think Saddam surrendered and begged the Americans not to kill him.
Really he was not even a dictator but a thief."
"I once beat Uday playing billiards in the hunting club. I saw
all my friends whispering, because whenever they play with Uday,
they will lose, they are scared, but what people saw of Uday was
just a media thing of him being strong, evil and brave. Really he
was just a coward. Qusay was much cleverer. He was planning to be
in charge one day.
"To me his trial is not important. I would judge him by the
laws of the Quran. If he committed one crime, he would have to be
killed. How many times should we kill him? Some people think
knowledge is over religion, which is why Saddam started showing
religious interest in the last ten years to try and regain points."
Ammar, a 28 year old shopkeeper from Adamiya, told us, "The
resistance had very good luck yesterday, about 10am. They hit 3
American humvees in front of the big Abu Hanifa mosque and 2 in
Anter Square and 3 in Al-Saleya, 9 altogether. There were at least
5 men in each car and don't think any survived. Twelve Iraqis were
killed. Two of them were mujahedin and 10 were civilians.
"If you have time, if you want to see something, stay here
until 4 o'clock. Something is going to happen. If you like you can
watch from my roof. The rumour goes around telling people who have
shops to stay indoors at certain times. It won't start dead on 4
but we will stay indoors after that time and not go out walking.
"Those operations have nothing to do with Saddam. We don't
love him - he's killed and tortured people, but because they are
invaders, because they have occupied our country, they don't
deserve to stay here. Some Shia people started shooting in the air,
but if anyone has courage, he should write God's name on every
bullet and fire them at Americans. Every one is needed for the
Americans, not for the air.
"I think resistance will increase now. A lot of people didn't
fight before because they did not want to be called pro-Saddam, but
now he is gone, it's pure jihad, and there is no reason not to
fight.
"When I saw Saddam shown on TV in that way I was really sad.
It's not really right for him to be judged by US. The problem was
that we were humiliated by Americans. Arabic nations should take a
lesson from that. The Interim Council is not much better than
Saddam because they came from outside the country and they didn't
live the suffering and they have not much time left in power
because even the Americans don't accept them."
Next to Adamiya is Kadhmiya, a Shia district. Sa'ad lives near
the old secret police HQ, now occupied by US soldiers. The
resistance, he said, is not from Kadhmiya but, "We weren't as happy
as when we heard that Uday and Qusay were killed. It's not because
we love Saddam but because he was captured by Americans not by
Iraqis. As Iraqis we do sympathise with another Iraqi even if he
made mistakes, because he was caught by an American.
"We have a saying, 'Me and my brother against my cousin, but
me and my cousin against the foreigners. I would defend Saddam
against foreigners, but between us, he deserves what he's getting
because he caused the deaths of lots of people. I was not a
Baathist. Saddam didn't hurt me but he took us into wars we weren't
meant to be in. He spent money on stupid things and didn't give
enough to the people.
"Some of the shooting was celebration but in truth after a
while it's just because there are lots of weapons, so mostly people
are just trying their guns. I bought a new gun quite recently and I
fired it just because it's new and I wanted to fire it. I am happy
he's caught but I'm not happy because he was caught by Americans.
They're not here for the benefit of Iraqis but for their own
benefit.
"I think his trial should be public and he shouldn't be
executed, because no one will benefit from that. He should be
jailed for life so he will see the changes. Resistance could
increase or decrease but if the US doesn't keep all the promises it
made, it will face Shia people as well, because now there is
nothing to stop them, no fear of being called pro-Saddam and as you
know there are more Shia than Sunni people here."
We tried to talk to some soldiers as we were passing but they
all said they were under strict new orders not to talk to anybody.
Fernandez of 41FA [he didn't tell us that, his helmet did] said "I
think they did a good job" but told us we'd have to go to the base
for signed permission if we wanted to write that down. There were
two tanks of US soldiers, guarded as ever by Iraqi soldiers, parked
in front of an empty petrol station.
As we drove away we were flagged down by a man with a biscuit
wanting to know if we'd asked the soldiers about the petrol
shortage and what they'd said. We told him no, just about the
capture of Saddam. He wanted to talk but not to give us his name.
He works as a baggage searcher at Baghdad airport, where the
diplomats and businessmen come in and out.
"When I saw Saddam on the television I had mixed feelings. I
felt pained, not because I love Saddam but because he is Iraqi and
we are Iraqi and we have love for our country. He's still an Iraqi
and caught by foreigners - it would be different if he was caught
by Iraqis.
"I want to ask the Americans why they didn't block the borders
with neighbouring countries because lots of people came in from
other countries. Resistance is not only Iraqi, it is also outsiders
coming to help. The resistance might increase for a week but it
will fade now that Saddam is gone. I want him to be jailed for
life, not executed, because I want him to see how things will
improve, but I want America to keep the promises because we had
hope when they came in and so far they haven't done anything."
Sheikh Adnan Al-Ani is the Imam of the Al Hasanein Sunni
Mosque in Ameriya. He's in charge of 500 mosques in the area.
"Intelligent people of all communities, Sunni and Shia, have to
make a union because the situation is very delicate and could be
used to provoke civil war. I consider that Saddam has been gone for
months, since the invasion. I saw him as a dead man already.
"I would have no problem if Saddam was caught by Iraqis, but
being caught by Americans is not honourable. Americans have
committed lots of crimes as well. If Saddam is a war criminal then
so is Bush and they should be tried side by side. This is the only
fair way.
"The resistance has nothing to do with Saddam. It's because
they are invaders and we have to resist the invader. Here in
Ameriya the schoolchildren went out and demonstrated and lots of
young people. The Americans tried to get rid of the crowd so they
sat in front of tanks and started cheering, long live Saddam. It
wasn't really for Saddam himself but for Iraq, with him as a symbol
of Iraq, because people know that chanting in his name will provoke
the occupiers."
The streets of Abu Ghraib were mud tracks with more horse
carts than cars and haystacks leaning on the houses. Hekmet said
there was lots of fighting there. People felt really angry because
Saddam was captured by bastards. "This place turned to a warzone
from about 6pm, lots of shooting, RPGs, rockets. It wasn't about
Sunni and Shia but about a person who represents a country being
caught by occupying forces."
The clattering of metal gates was interspersed with explosions
making much the same noise but with more quaking through the
ground. It's normal, they say. On the north side of Abu Ghraib
there are rivers and bushes where people can hide, so it happens
all the time, when aeroplanes come in. The ones on the top of the
hour are usually controlled explosions of munitions collected and
brought in to the airport.
"People are fighting because they are comparing between now
and Saddam's time. The Iraqi army left weapons abandoned on the
streets so people collected them. In Abu Ghraib people have a lot
of weapons. The resistance is legal because we are fighting
occupying forces. We have so much petrol and now there is none in
the petrol stations.
"Every day there are people killing ex Baathists and people
killing any person who works with the Americans. It's happening in
Abu Ghraib every day. They warn Iraqis to stop working with
Americans or get killed. Abu Ghraib is like a bee hive. If you
touch it at all it will all be very angry. If I knew where Saddam
was I would go and release him. I hate him but he is like the flag
I used to hold."
__________
Jo Wilding is based in Baghdad and wrote for Electronic Iraq
during the war.
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