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The articles on this site are the work of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of any Green Party organization
Published by Roger Snyder
Roger's Rumblings

Dec

1

Iraq log

From the BBC: Iraq log home page

Iraq log: 29 November 2004

What is life like for ordinary Iraqis and others caught up in events? We are publishing a range of accounts here from people inside Iraq about how they, their families and friends live day to day and what the bigger events in the headlines mean to them.

You can bookmark this page and come back to read the latest posts each day over the next two weeks.

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About this log

THREATS AND INSULTS

Posted by Yasmin Abdulaziz Baghdad, 29 November

I’m working as part of a national inoculation programme. My team consists of a driver and a male nurse and me. We’ve been working in health centres to the south of Baghdad, in places like Latifiya, Mahmoudiya, Yousifiya. We’ve also been working in an area between Zafaraniya and Ramadi to the south west of Baghdad. This is an area in which former regime figures such Saddam’s son Uday and others had their farms.

On arrival at our destination, I felt like elements of the Saddam regime were still present there. While in that region, we suffered insults and threats, especially from the leaders of the main tribes there. They accused us of working for a “lackey regime”. They said our drugs were made in Israel and would harm children!

The state of housing was miserable. Even drinking water was not available. I found many children suffering from diseases such as typhoid. These conditions, left untreated, could lead to death. I also came across victims of missiles that have missed their target and saw a number of people disabled by war injuries.

The overall situation was difficult, but we had to return to the same region over a five-day period to complete our work.

One day while inoculating children in a small farmhouse, a man emerged from a house next door and fired a rocket propelled grenade towards Baghdad. The noise was deafening. It was obvious that he could not possibly have known whether his missile would reach its target or not.

I was not able to talk to people freely in the area. Many seemed persuaded by the idea of jihad and by the notion that Saddam will one day come back and that the current interim government will fall. I was worried that we might be killed there and then, without anyone knowing what happened to us.