26/9/2005

I know this is going to sound like I am mysteriously present wherever there is a disaster ,but it is not my fault, honestly !. There are just …– I quote here Mr. Phil Collins – “..There are too many people making too many problems” .
Yesterday, I was actually close enough to death to start an affair with him -. I will be grateful if death maintains his distance in future ..thank you very much..- .
So, there I was walking minding my own business around 12:45, my back towards the statue of his majesty Abu Jafar Al Mansour , you know the chap who built Baghdad ,and he called it the City of peace too, Bless him… Any way, I just finished collecting a passport for a senior relative , I was trotting along ..I even decided to buy some cheese on my way .Out of nowhere four cars raced towards the Bank in that peaceful mainly residential area ( tow high schools in the same street, one opposite the bank and another a few blocks away) .The armed gang in these cars started firing excessively just about 200 meters from the statue on their way to the Bank straight ahead , there where also other members of the gang ,who appeared and fired or rained with bullets a car with employees from the Ministry of Finance transferring cash to or from the Bank I am not sure .They slaughtered them at the place and drove away after taking the car . The panic that happened was beyond description, a couple of school kids were running around in panic seeking refuge in the near shops , pedestrians crouched behind cars . I was never good at sports in fact I was a constant disappointment to any sports teacher that had to coach me through all my school and college days, but I jumped I think about 1.5 meters backwards “pay attention to backwards” . When it all happened I can’t say that I recorded everything in my malfunctioning brain . It all started to fit together a couple of minutes later. Men rushed to the crime scene and civilian cars owned by chivalrous Iraqis pulled over to pick up the dead (a man said they were three dead and one heavily injured ) but I can’t say I counted I was not that close and it all happened so fast . The culprits drove away with the trophy leaving these unfortunate employees killed at the end of bloody working day . A young boy came with blood stained hands , he said he helped lift one of the corpses, he was trembling like a leave on a windy day ,and I was trembling even stronger, my hands were as cold as ices and I could not keep my knees steady . The execution was very professional , carried out with precision , they knew exactly the time the car was supposed to move and where exactly to catch it .
I tell you I have witnessed three wars in my wretched life , so bombing and shooting is not a novelty to me, but to snuggle up in your bed cuddling your pillow , shaking and reciting all you know from the Koran is one thing, and to be caught out side with bullets soaring over your head ,seeing people running about seeking cover is entirely another .. Well, I was so sad and hurt for those people who died I had a fever that night .