The following news story is quoted from the Australian newspaper "The Courier Mail" of Brisbane, Australia.
The article can be found at: http://thecouriermail.news.com.au/story/0,20797,19265635-1702,00.html
Coach killed 'for wearing shorts'
From correspondents in Baghdad
May 26, 2006
This article from : Reuters
THE coach of the Iraq tennis team and two players have been shot dead by armed gunmen in Baghdad, the Iraqi Olympic Committee chief said today.
According to eye witnesses, the three men were killed because they were wearing shorts.
"Armed men assassinated the trainer, Ahmed Rachid, and two players, Nasser Ali Hatem and Wissam Adel Odah on Thursday afternoon in the Saidiya district (of Baghdad)," committee secretary-general Amer Jabbar said.
Witnesses said that a Sunni militant group issued a warning a few days before the attack, forbidding the wearing of shorts.
One witness, who requested anonymity, said: "The three men were driving in a car and dropped off some washing at a launderette when they were stopped by the gunmen, who had seen they were in shorts.
"The coach and players were stopped by the armed group. Two of them got out of the car and were shot with a bullet in the head. The third was killed in the car.
"The gunmen took the body out of the car and threw it on top of the other two bodies before stealing the car."
This is not the first time that sportsmen have been targeted in Iraq.
On May 17 a group of 15 members of the Iraq tae kwon do team were taken hostage between Fallujah and Ramadi to the west of Baghdad as they returned Amman in Jordan.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $US100,000 ($131,690) for their release, Iraqi Olympic Committee. member Jamal Abdel Karim said.
And on February 25, former national boxing champion Jasseb Rahma was shot dead in front of his family in the town of Basrah.
26 May 2006
25 May 2006
Loss After Loss
I lost a friend a couple of weeks ago to the violence and killings that engulf Iraq.
I learned today about the loss of another friend, making the death toll of those i know reach 3 in as much months.
The latest victim was a shopkeeper. I knew him for about 13 years, since high school days. He was a very nice and a very polite person, who came from a good family that brought him up well.
He was killed with his brother, for relegious reasons.
He wasn't killed for what he worked, he was killed just for being what he was. As simple as that.
What can you say, when seeing people you know, fall all the time?
What can you say, when you see Al-Qaida slogans written increasingly on the walls in parts of your area, right under the noses of the American Army, the Iraqi Army, and the gov't that is busy giving away ministries, and many many parliamentarians who want to fill up their pockets and blab to Al-Jazeera and its likes, and just be served instead of serving the people.
Nobody can bring my friends who have fell dead back, but the big question is: Who would save those who are still alive? Who would save me, among other Iraqis? Would all Iraqis just sit and wait for the threat papers or assassination bullets to come? What is the solution? Would there be a crackdown where and when needed to stop all this?
Love died, feelings died,
The light that shows us the way died,
The human, within us died,
Let's all cry for that loss...
(Kazem Al-Saher)
I learned today about the loss of another friend, making the death toll of those i know reach 3 in as much months.
The latest victim was a shopkeeper. I knew him for about 13 years, since high school days. He was a very nice and a very polite person, who came from a good family that brought him up well.
He was killed with his brother, for relegious reasons.
He wasn't killed for what he worked, he was killed just for being what he was. As simple as that.
What can you say, when seeing people you know, fall all the time?
What can you say, when you see Al-Qaida slogans written increasingly on the walls in parts of your area, right under the noses of the American Army, the Iraqi Army, and the gov't that is busy giving away ministries, and many many parliamentarians who want to fill up their pockets and blab to Al-Jazeera and its likes, and just be served instead of serving the people.
Nobody can bring my friends who have fell dead back, but the big question is: Who would save those who are still alive? Who would save me, among other Iraqis? Would all Iraqis just sit and wait for the threat papers or assassination bullets to come? What is the solution? Would there be a crackdown where and when needed to stop all this?
Love died, feelings died,
The light that shows us the way died,
The human, within us died,
Let's all cry for that loss...
(Kazem Al-Saher)
15 May 2006
Early Morning Blabbings!
It was a quiet morning in Baghdad, and it was around 8:30 am, when suddenly, i was awakened by very close Kalashnikov gun shots!
I jumped from the bed running out of my room shouting: "Where is everybody?!". In 5 seconds time, "everybody" was accounted for, and i took a long sigh of relief!
I was terribly afraid that one of the family was going out, and they got killed -God forbid-. Thank God that we are "in-the-middle" kind of people with no political or relegious or any other affiliations whatsoever, which makes it "safer" for us than other Iraqis, but hey, Iraqis are killed just for being Iraqis!
The range of killing doesn't exclude anyone, of course, from rich and important people, to poor bakers or falafil sellers on the street; why? Because they're Iraqis!
I heard that some Arabists (some Arabs who claim that they are Arabophile and pro-Nationalism and all, but their situations could be sold and bought as cheap as junk) have given a decree, or maybe a fatwa, or whatever it may be called, saying that because Iraqis haven't fought with the former "legitimate" gov't against the "Bushy occupation" or "foreign domination", then they should be all killed!
First, i think it is not of their business, for they danced and benefitted over Iraqis' disasters during the last decade (at least), and now they suddenly appear to like us!
Furthermore, it is kind of stupid, in my humble opinion, because if you come and kill -or pay for the killing of- all the Iraqis then who on Earth would be left running Iraq except the "foreigners"??!!
Kill all the Iraqis, make Iraq empty or weak, and you would get a long smooch between the Bush Administration and its allies from one side, and Iran and all its allies from the other side; that is despite the fact that both blocs have their big differences, of course. But they are a living example of a Iraqi proverb which talks about simultaneous love-hate feelings, and that proverb may not be quite appropriate to be said here!
Meanwhile, the Iraqi gov't is STiLL under construction... It brings to memory a scene from one of Duraid Lahham's (AKA Ghawwar El-Toushe) movies, when he asks about today's newspapers, and he is told by the newspapers seller that they only have last week's newspapers, so he says: "bring them down! The news haven't changed since then!!"
Yes, the news haven't changed. Iraqis get killed by the dozens everyday, while politicians are still there, blabbing, and here you have some "@#$%^*" party threatening or deciding to pull out of the gov't and mess everything up because they were not given a certain ministry to play with!!!
Technocrats, non-sectarians, independent Iraqis: eat your hearts out!
I jumped from the bed running out of my room shouting: "Where is everybody?!". In 5 seconds time, "everybody" was accounted for, and i took a long sigh of relief!
I was terribly afraid that one of the family was going out, and they got killed -God forbid-. Thank God that we are "in-the-middle" kind of people with no political or relegious or any other affiliations whatsoever, which makes it "safer" for us than other Iraqis, but hey, Iraqis are killed just for being Iraqis!
The range of killing doesn't exclude anyone, of course, from rich and important people, to poor bakers or falafil sellers on the street; why? Because they're Iraqis!
I heard that some Arabists (some Arabs who claim that they are Arabophile and pro-Nationalism and all, but their situations could be sold and bought as cheap as junk) have given a decree, or maybe a fatwa, or whatever it may be called, saying that because Iraqis haven't fought with the former "legitimate" gov't against the "Bushy occupation" or "foreign domination", then they should be all killed!
First, i think it is not of their business, for they danced and benefitted over Iraqis' disasters during the last decade (at least), and now they suddenly appear to like us!
Furthermore, it is kind of stupid, in my humble opinion, because if you come and kill -or pay for the killing of- all the Iraqis then who on Earth would be left running Iraq except the "foreigners"??!!
Kill all the Iraqis, make Iraq empty or weak, and you would get a long smooch between the Bush Administration and its allies from one side, and Iran and all its allies from the other side; that is despite the fact that both blocs have their big differences, of course. But they are a living example of a Iraqi proverb which talks about simultaneous love-hate feelings, and that proverb may not be quite appropriate to be said here!
Meanwhile, the Iraqi gov't is STiLL under construction... It brings to memory a scene from one of Duraid Lahham's (AKA Ghawwar El-Toushe) movies, when he asks about today's newspapers, and he is told by the newspapers seller that they only have last week's newspapers, so he says: "bring them down! The news haven't changed since then!!"
Yes, the news haven't changed. Iraqis get killed by the dozens everyday, while politicians are still there, blabbing, and here you have some "@#$%^*" party threatening or deciding to pull out of the gov't and mess everything up because they were not given a certain ministry to play with!!!
Technocrats, non-sectarians, independent Iraqis: eat your hearts out!
10 May 2006
The Explosion
I was asleep in the afternoon, the time was around 6:30 pm, when a huge explosion rocked our area. It was not farther than 250 meters (270 yds) from our house.
The blast was so big to the extent that a 15 cm (half a foot) piece of debris fell in the street right in front of our door.
The American humvees came about 5 minutes after the accident.
The problem that we have in the area are the empty spaces filled with trash, which could be a fertile ground to plant explosive devices, not necessarily aimed at Iraqi or American forces, but civilians. Today's blast was near a market, and there was a blast at the same spot last month. We heard that at least one person was badly hit in the neck and was rushed to hospital.
What can we do... That's life in Baghdad...
08 May 2006
Close Encounter
It was half past twelve at night, and as hot as hell,
And then all of a sudden, off went the bell...
We were scared and bedazzled, who on earth they might be,
We went out, and looked out, and "Americans" we see...
***
Yes, the American army passed by, and they just asked a couple of questions... Something that could've certainly been done at an earlier time that 12:30 am, when nobody moves around except the military & what is known to be "death squads" who wear police commandos uniforms.
That is why it was very scary, and the sky high adrenalin made it difficult to sleep afterwards.
I don't really know till this moment, did they go and ask any other house, and if not then why us?!
One of the funniest things the American officer said was "if there is anything suspicious, you could just apporach the US forces, and tap at any of our vehicles and tell us about it"!!!!!
Excuse you, dude!!!!!
Isn't that how you shoot people!!! When they 'approach' your vehicles. My dad was carrying bread once, and walking some 50 meters (yds) away, and the dude over one vehicle kept shouting to him to 'go'...
Are you out of your mind??!!!
Anyway, they seemed quite 'polite' to say the least... They rang the bell and waited... No smokebombs, no assaults, no armed appearence right in your face... We weren't handcuffed or stepped on or anything... I guess they're learning the 'right' ways (except making stupid "go tap a humvee" suggestions!!!)
And then all of a sudden, off went the bell...
We were scared and bedazzled, who on earth they might be,
We went out, and looked out, and "Americans" we see...
***
Yes, the American army passed by, and they just asked a couple of questions... Something that could've certainly been done at an earlier time that 12:30 am, when nobody moves around except the military & what is known to be "death squads" who wear police commandos uniforms.
That is why it was very scary, and the sky high adrenalin made it difficult to sleep afterwards.
I don't really know till this moment, did they go and ask any other house, and if not then why us?!
One of the funniest things the American officer said was "if there is anything suspicious, you could just apporach the US forces, and tap at any of our vehicles and tell us about it"!!!!!
Excuse you, dude!!!!!
Isn't that how you shoot people!!! When they 'approach' your vehicles. My dad was carrying bread once, and walking some 50 meters (yds) away, and the dude over one vehicle kept shouting to him to 'go'...
Are you out of your mind??!!!
Anyway, they seemed quite 'polite' to say the least... They rang the bell and waited... No smokebombs, no assaults, no armed appearence right in your face... We weren't handcuffed or stepped on or anything... I guess they're learning the 'right' ways (except making stupid "go tap a humvee" suggestions!!!)
04 May 2006
Two AM Shootout
I returned to Baghdad from the North of Iraq two days ago, and this is the first posting about Baghdad.
It was about 1:45 am, when fierce gunshots broke all over the region.
The shooting was very close, and it appeared that there was an attack against one of the mosques, at the far side of the area, maybe on the main highway adjacent to the area.
It went on for about 30 minutes, then faded down. And it was strange to have a shooting round this long with the heavy patrols the US & Iraqi Armies are running through our area on a constant daily basis.
Another bad element is the trash and junk that is filling the streets and squares of our area. They surely attract explosive devices, especially with the many patrols roaming our alleys.
Let's just hope nothing blows up, like what happened about a month ago some 300 meters (yds) away from our home. A couple of people were injured, but luckily, nobody died.
It was about 1:45 am, when fierce gunshots broke all over the region.
The shooting was very close, and it appeared that there was an attack against one of the mosques, at the far side of the area, maybe on the main highway adjacent to the area.
It went on for about 30 minutes, then faded down. And it was strange to have a shooting round this long with the heavy patrols the US & Iraqi Armies are running through our area on a constant daily basis.
Another bad element is the trash and junk that is filling the streets and squares of our area. They surely attract explosive devices, especially with the many patrols roaming our alleys.
Let's just hope nothing blows up, like what happened about a month ago some 300 meters (yds) away from our home. A couple of people were injured, but luckily, nobody died.
28 April 2006
Back to the North
Hello, and welcome to another posting. This times, it comes your way from the city of Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan.
It has been always pleasant to visit this city in the past. I have so many good friends in there, who i always miss while being in Baghdad.
My coming to this city was by car, and it was the longest drive i had, and the first to another province since the latest outbreak of violence after the Samarra 22 Feb. bombing.
I took a taxi from Baghdad's Nahdha Square garage, and i took the two front seats while 3 people sat in the back row. Then we drove along, and it took us about 5 hours to reach Sulaimaniya. On the road there were many check points, but one or two of them had only two soldiers. That was a little scary because: What if somebody attacked the two soldiers, and took over the road?! What would happen then?!
Anyway, we arrived safely to Sulaimaniya, and it took me another day until i saw the first of friends.
Talk to you soon!
It has been always pleasant to visit this city in the past. I have so many good friends in there, who i always miss while being in Baghdad.
My coming to this city was by car, and it was the longest drive i had, and the first to another province since the latest outbreak of violence after the Samarra 22 Feb. bombing.
I took a taxi from Baghdad's Nahdha Square garage, and i took the two front seats while 3 people sat in the back row. Then we drove along, and it took us about 5 hours to reach Sulaimaniya. On the road there were many check points, but one or two of them had only two soldiers. That was a little scary because: What if somebody attacked the two soldiers, and took over the road?! What would happen then?!
Anyway, we arrived safely to Sulaimaniya, and it took me another day until i saw the first of friends.
Talk to you soon!
Long Time, No Nothing!
And Hello There!
Sorry i haven't written for so long.
I have proven total failure on keeping my war diary on the road; as well as keeping my day-to-day activities as well.
For that, i apologize from you, and hope that the coming days will not be like that.
I hope for sure, but cannot promise anything. :(
Talk to you soon!
Sorry i haven't written for so long.
I have proven total failure on keeping my war diary on the road; as well as keeping my day-to-day activities as well.
For that, i apologize from you, and hope that the coming days will not be like that.
I hope for sure, but cannot promise anything. :(
Talk to you soon!
24 April 2006
He Spoke Well, Out of Office!
Yes, he did...
I might have expected him to do so, but maybe not a lot.
He is the outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari. And the occasion was the start of the new parliament in Iraq.
As a matter of fact, his speech was quite effective, and so were the other speeches at that day. But the question is: Will (any of) those speeches be brought to life and reality?
That's what WE as Iraqis need, right?!
Plain speeches wouldn't lead us anywhere, if things were not Goal U Fi'il (= you say it, then you do it) as we say, otherwise, everything would join the on going blablabla that we have been hearing for good knows how many years now (definitely much more than 3!).
But to Jaafari, as he goes from PM (=Prime Minister), to MP (=Member of Parliament); one could say, at this particular event: Well Said!
I guess it is true that: After everything is said and done, more have been said than done!
I might have expected him to do so, but maybe not a lot.
He is the outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari. And the occasion was the start of the new parliament in Iraq.
As a matter of fact, his speech was quite effective, and so were the other speeches at that day. But the question is: Will (any of) those speeches be brought to life and reality?
That's what WE as Iraqis need, right?!
Plain speeches wouldn't lead us anywhere, if things were not Goal U Fi'il (= you say it, then you do it) as we say, otherwise, everything would join the on going blablabla that we have been hearing for good knows how many years now (definitely much more than 3!).
But to Jaafari, as he goes from PM (=Prime Minister), to MP (=Member of Parliament); one could say, at this particular event: Well Said!
I guess it is true that: After everything is said and done, more have been said than done!
09 April 2006
Three Years...
Today, marked 3 years of the "whatever you may call it"...
It was what some cheesy smileys called it the "liberation", while the UN resolutions and the global majority call it "occupation", in the same time that you find some people dance around both expressions and call it the "change". Another bunch would like to call it "Pandora Day", in which Pandora's box was opened, thus all the demons were set "free".
Other people tend to call it the "fall", but there is a difference on what exactly fell that day. Some would dramatize it, and call it the Fall of Baghdad, just like this new Egyptian movie called "The Night Baghdad Fell" (Laylat Suqout Baghdad); while some others, including some proud Iraqis say that the ruling regime only fell, and Baghdad never falls.
No matter what do you call it, 9 April 2003 was a dividing day in this country's history.
But really, after those three years, what changed? And what would Iraqis feel?
Before, everything was under the eyes of the state, it was a "daddy knows better" state... You couldn't communicate with the world, have a free e-mail account on Yahoo, Hotmail, or any of that; you couldn't have a chat, you couldn't have cell phones, you couldn't have satellite TV, you couldn't tell someone you don't know that you heard BBC last night.
But now... There is one thing most of the Iraqis agree upon, which is "there is no government"... Or we may correct and say that there are 1001 governments in Iraq, or maybe 26 million! since Iraqis are sometimes considered just like fingerprints, where no Iraqi can fully agree with another Iraqi. There's the President's gov't, Prime Minister's gov't, Majority's gov't, Parties' gov't, smaller parties' gov't, Militias' gov't, Black shirts' gov't, and "insurgents" gov't. I'm sorry if i forgot any gov't, i didn't mean to!
You still can't tell someone you don't know that you heard BBC last night. What if he or his black or white or whatever colored turbaned sheikh or sayyid or imam or whatever thought that BBC is an "infidel" radio, and whoever who listens to it gets infected with infidelian flu, just like the avian flu?!
Some people would argue about "freedoms" that they gained in the past 3 years... That could be very true, but even freedoms need laws, and law inforcement to regulate, otherwise, some people's freedom could be a synonym for chaos.
Yes, 3 years had passed... And that day have brought things that needed to be brought, which were left to evaporate or be very limited; and it also brought things that one would have never thought that they would be ever seen in Iraq.
Today, 3 years after 9 April 2003, as i tour my area, and its main street that stretches for 2 kms, i saw 8 burned cars, some are recent, and some are a bit old. Not far from my home there was a car parked weirdly over a trash square. It stopped there after its driver was shot. There were bullet marks on the car, but i haven't seen the body. My father saw a body of a person lying in the middle of the street about 5 days ago.
Shopkeepers told us that minibuses often come in broad daylight, and shoot hand-tied people dead, leave the body and drive away. Bakeries were bread is made are also targeted, maybe bread is "infidel" as well?!!
Every once in a while you hear women wail and cry, as the news of a dead relative reaches their house, or someone of that family is shot at their doorsteps.
It is all getting tragically ridiculous by the day, like a long running black black comedy, and our PM is still stuck to his chair, 4 months after the elections!Maybe he grew too "wide" to rise out of that chair, or perhaps he is glued to it!
What would return peace and stability to Iraq?!
Nothing... Or?!
It was what some cheesy smileys called it the "liberation", while the UN resolutions and the global majority call it "occupation", in the same time that you find some people dance around both expressions and call it the "change". Another bunch would like to call it "Pandora Day", in which Pandora's box was opened, thus all the demons were set "free".
Other people tend to call it the "fall", but there is a difference on what exactly fell that day. Some would dramatize it, and call it the Fall of Baghdad, just like this new Egyptian movie called "The Night Baghdad Fell" (Laylat Suqout Baghdad); while some others, including some proud Iraqis say that the ruling regime only fell, and Baghdad never falls.
No matter what do you call it, 9 April 2003 was a dividing day in this country's history.
But really, after those three years, what changed? And what would Iraqis feel?
Before, everything was under the eyes of the state, it was a "daddy knows better" state... You couldn't communicate with the world, have a free e-mail account on Yahoo, Hotmail, or any of that; you couldn't have a chat, you couldn't have cell phones, you couldn't have satellite TV, you couldn't tell someone you don't know that you heard BBC last night.
But now... There is one thing most of the Iraqis agree upon, which is "there is no government"... Or we may correct and say that there are 1001 governments in Iraq, or maybe 26 million! since Iraqis are sometimes considered just like fingerprints, where no Iraqi can fully agree with another Iraqi. There's the President's gov't, Prime Minister's gov't, Majority's gov't, Parties' gov't, smaller parties' gov't, Militias' gov't, Black shirts' gov't, and "insurgents" gov't. I'm sorry if i forgot any gov't, i didn't mean to!
You still can't tell someone you don't know that you heard BBC last night. What if he or his black or white or whatever colored turbaned sheikh or sayyid or imam or whatever thought that BBC is an "infidel" radio, and whoever who listens to it gets infected with infidelian flu, just like the avian flu?!
Some people would argue about "freedoms" that they gained in the past 3 years... That could be very true, but even freedoms need laws, and law inforcement to regulate, otherwise, some people's freedom could be a synonym for chaos.
Yes, 3 years had passed... And that day have brought things that needed to be brought, which were left to evaporate or be very limited; and it also brought things that one would have never thought that they would be ever seen in Iraq.
Today, 3 years after 9 April 2003, as i tour my area, and its main street that stretches for 2 kms, i saw 8 burned cars, some are recent, and some are a bit old. Not far from my home there was a car parked weirdly over a trash square. It stopped there after its driver was shot. There were bullet marks on the car, but i haven't seen the body. My father saw a body of a person lying in the middle of the street about 5 days ago.
Shopkeepers told us that minibuses often come in broad daylight, and shoot hand-tied people dead, leave the body and drive away. Bakeries were bread is made are also targeted, maybe bread is "infidel" as well?!!
Every once in a while you hear women wail and cry, as the news of a dead relative reaches their house, or someone of that family is shot at their doorsteps.
It is all getting tragically ridiculous by the day, like a long running black black comedy, and our PM is still stuck to his chair, 4 months after the elections!Maybe he grew too "wide" to rise out of that chair, or perhaps he is glued to it!
What would return peace and stability to Iraq?!
Nothing... Or?!
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