Zaka khumi zapitazo, mu Marichi 2003, anthu aku Iraq adakonzekera kuukira kwa "Shock and Awe" komwe US ikufuna kuwayambitsa. Zofalitsa zofalitsa nkhani zachiwembuzo zidatsimikizira anthu aku Iraq kuti ziwawa zankhanza zikubwera. Ndinkakhala ku Baghdad panthawiyo, pamodzi ndi omenyera ufulu wa Voices ku Wilderness omwe adatsimikiza kukhalabe ku Iraq, zivute zitani. Sitinafune kuti nkhondo yankhondo yotsogozedwa ndi US ndi zachuma zithetse mgwirizano womwe udakula pakati pathu ndi ma Iraqi omwe adapangana nafe zaka zisanu ndi ziwiri zapitazi. Kuyambira 1996, tidapita ku Iraq kangapo, kunyamula mankhwala a ana ndi mabanja kumeneko, kuphwanya poyera zilango zazachuma zomwe zidalunjika anthu omwe ali pachiwopsezo kwambiri mdziko la Iraq - osauka, okalamba, ndi ana.
Ndimavutitsidwabe ndi ana komanso amayi ndi abambo awo osweka mtima amene tinakumana nawo m’zipatala za ku Iraq.
"Ndikuganiza kuti ndamva," anang'ung'udza mnzanga Martin Thomas, namwino wochokera ku UK, atakhala m'chipinda cha ana m'chipatala cha Baghdad mu 1997, kuyesera kumvetsetsa zenizeni zowopsya. "Ndi mzere wa imfa kwa makanda." Pafupifupi ana onse anaweruzidwa kuti aphedwe, ena pambuyo pa masiku ambiri akumva ululu pa mphasa zothimbirira mwazi, popanda zothetsa ululu. Ena anafa msanga, atatayidwa ndi matenda obwera ndi madzi. Madziwo akamatuluka m’thupi mwawo, ankaoneka ngati zipatso zofota komanso zowonongeka. Akadakhala, akadayenera kukhala - ndikuseka, kuvina, kuthamanga ndikusewera - koma m'malo mwake adalangidwa mwankhanza ndi zilango zazachuma zomwe zimati zimayenera kulanga ulamuliro wankhanza womwe anthu wamba analibe ulamuliro.
Nkhondo inathera kwa ana amenewo, koma sinathe kwa opulumuka amene ali ndi zikumbukiro za iwo.
Momwemonso, zotsatira za kuphulika kwa mabomba ku US zikupitirirabe, mosawerengeka komanso mopanda chitetezo.
Titafika ku Baghdad, nthawi zonse timapita ku hotelo ya Al Fanar yomwe inali ndi nthumwi zambiri zam'mbuyomu.
Nthawi zambiri, anthu ochokera kumayiko ena monga ife anali makasitomala okhawo a hoteloyo pazaka zazitali zomwe zilango zazachuma zidasokoneza chuma cha Iraq ndikuchotsa zida zawo. Koma kumayambiriro kwa Marichi 2003, zipinda zinali kudzaza mwachangu ku Al Fanar. Mwiniwakeyo adapempha achibale ake ndi ena mwa anansi ake ndi ana awo kuti asamukire, mwina akuyembekeza kuti US sidzaukira nyumba yomwe imadziwika kuti imakhala ndi anthu ochokera kumayiko ena.
Makolo ku Iraq amadzitcha dzina la mwana wawo wamkulu. Abu Miladah, bambo wa atsikana awiri ang'onoang'ono, Miladah ndi Zainab, anali kalaliki wa pahotelo yausiku. Anakonza zoti mkazi wake, Umm Miladah, asamukire mu hoteloyo pamodzi ndi ana awo aakazi aŵiri aang’ono. Umm Miladah anatilandira bwino kuti tipange ubwenzi ndi ana ake. Kunali kumasulidwa kodala kuseka ndi kusewera ndi ana, ndipo mwanjira ina masewera athu ndi masewera adawoneka ngati akusokoneza Umm Miladah ku nkhawa yake yomwe ikukwera pamene tikuyembekezera US kuti igwetse mabomba ndi mivi pa ife.
Zowukirazi zitayamba, Umm Miladah nthawi zambiri ankawoneka akunjenjemera chifukwa cha mantha. Usana ndi usiku, kuphulika kumagwedeza mazenera ndikupangitsa kuti makoma a Al Fanar agwedezeke. Kuphulika kwa makutu ndi kugunda kwamphamvu kumabwera kuchokera kumbali zonse, pafupi ndi kutali, m'milungu iwiri yotsatira. Nthawi zambiri ndinkagwira Miladah, yemwe anali ndi zaka 3, ndi Zainab, mlongo wake wazaka 1 ½ m’manja mwanga. Apa ndinazindikira kuti onse ayamba kukukuta mano m'mawa, masana ndi usiku. Kangapo, tinachitira umboni Dima wazaka 8; mwana wamkazi wa wogwira ntchito m’hotelo ina, akuyang’ana bambo ake mwamanyazi ali padziwe la mkodzo wake, atalephera kulamulira chikhodzodzo chake m’masiku oyambirira a “Kudabwa ndi Kuzizwa.”
Ndipo patapita milungu ingapo, pamene kuphulitsako kunatha, pamene tinakhoza kupuma pang’ono, pozindikira kuti tonse tinali ndi moyo, ndinali wofunitsitsa kutulutsa Miladah ndi Zainab panja. Ndinkafuna kuti amve kutentha kwa dzuwa, koma ndinanyamuka kaye kwa mayi awo kuti ndiwaone ngati akuona kuti si bwino kuti ndituluke ndi ana awo.
Anali atakhala m’chipinda cholandirira alendo kuhotelo, n’kumaonerera zimene zinkachitika panjapo. Asilikali a ku US Marines anali kumasula mabolo akuluakulu a waya wamingaminga kuti akhazikitse cheke kunja kwa hotelo yathu. Ma jeep ankhondo a Beige, Zonyamula Zida Zankhondo, akasinja ndi Humvees adapanga misewu mbali iliyonse. Misozi inali kutsika pankhope pa Umm Miladah. Iye anati: “Sindinaganizepo kuti zimenezi zingachitikire dziko langa. “Ndipo ndikumva chisoni kwambiri. Ndipo chisoni ichi—ndikuganiza, sichidzatha.”
Iye anali mneneri womvetsa chisoni.
Nkhondo inali itangotha kumene kwa omwe anaphedwa panthawi ya "Shock and Awe" kuphulitsa mabomba ndi kuwukira, ndipo inali yoti ithe mwadzidzidzi kwa anthu masauzande ambiri omwe anaphedwa m'zaka zotsatira za usilikali ndi nkhondo yapachiweniweni. Koma sizidzatha kwa opulumuka.
Zotsatira zake zimapitilira mosayerekezeka komanso mosadziteteza.
Zotsatira za nkhondo zikupitirirabe kwa anthu 2.2 miliyoni omwe athawa kwawo chifukwa cha kuphulika kwa mabomba ndi chipwirikiti, omwe moyo wawo wawonongeka, ndipo athawira kumayiko ena, olekanitsidwa ndi okondedwa awo ndipo sangathenso kubwezeretsanso nyumba ndi madera omwe akukhala. anayenera kuthawa mofulumira. Ku Iraq, anthu pafupifupi 2.8 miliyoni othawa kwawo amakhala, malinga ndi Refugees International, "m’mantha osalekeza, opanda malo okhala, chakudya, ndi ntchito zofunika. "
Nkhondo sinathe kwa anthu amene anapulumuka kuzunzidwa kapena amene anali kutsatira zimene analamula n’kukhala ozunza.
Komanso sizinathere kwa mibadwo ingapo ya okhometsa misonkho aku US omwe apitiliza kulipira nkhondo yomwe akatswiri azachuma a Linda Bilmes ndi a Joseph Stiglitz adagula mpaka pano. Madola 4 trilioni.
Kwa Bradley Manning, yemwe chifundo chake cholimba mtima chinavumbula zigawenga zomwe akuluakulu ankhondo aku US adachita nawo pozunza, magulu akupha komanso kupha anthu, nkhondoyi sinathe. Amakhala ngati ngwazi yankhondo komanso woyimbira mluzu, akuyang'anizana ndi zaka zambiri kapena kukhala m'ndende.
Nkhondoyo sitha kutha kwa omenyera nkhondo omwe ali ndi mabala akuthupi ndi amalingaliro omwe amatha mpaka kufa. Pa Marichi 19th, pa 10 Year Anniversary of the Shock and Awe kuwukira, mamembala a Iraq Veterans Against the War, ophatikizidwa ndi Center for Constitutional Rights ndi magulu ena omenyera ufulu adzasonkhana pamaso pa White House ku Washington, DC kuti akhazikitse njira yodzinenera. ufulu wawo wochiritsa. Moyenera, akuyitanitsa chithandizo chamankhwala, kuyankha mlandu, ndi kubwezeredwa, ndipo moyenerera, akupempha thandizo lathu.
Dziko lotukuka lingamvere kuitana kwawo. Dziko lotukuka likanafuna kubwezera kochokera pansi pamtima kwa anthu aku Iraq ndikusiya kulowerera muzochitika zawo zamkati, likhoza kupeza ufulu ndi kutamandidwa kwa anthu oimba mluzu monga Bradley Manning, ndipo mwamsanga amayamba kudzimasula ku ukapolo kwa omenyera nkhondo ndi opindula pa nkhondo. Gandhi nthawi ina adafunsidwa kuti, "Mukuganiza bwanji za chitukuko chakumadzulo?" Ndipo modabwitsa, adayankha, "Ndikuganiza kuti lingakhale lingaliro labwino."
Kathy Kelly ([imelo ndiotetezedwa]) amagwirizanitsa mau a Creative Nonviolence (www.vcnv.org) ndipo imaphatikizidwa ndi PeaceVoice.