Kwiminyaka elishumi eyadlulayo, ngoMatshi ka-2003, abantu base-Iraqi bazilungiselela uhlaselo olwalulindelwe “lokuSothusa noKukhwankqiswa” olwalucetywa yi-US ukuba luqalise ngokuchasene nabo. Ukwakhiwa kwemithombo yeendaba kolu hlaselo kwaqinisekisa ama-Iraqi ukuba uhlaselo olukhohlakeleyo luyeza. Ndandihlala e-Baghdad ngelo xesha, kunye namanye ama-Voices asentlango abazimisele ukuhlala e-Iraq, nokuba kwenzeka ntoni. Besingafuni imfazwe yomkhosi kunye nezoqoqosho ekhokelwa yi-US ukuba iqhawule amaqhina akhule phakathi kwethu nama-Iraqis awayenobuhlobo nathi kule minyaka isixhenxe idlulileyo. Ukusukela ngo-1996, sasikhe saya e-Iraq amatyeli amaninzi, siphathele abantwana amayeza kunye neentsapho apho, sityeshela ngokuphandle izohlwayo zezoqoqosho ezazijolise ngqo kwabona bantu basesichengeni kuluntu lwase-Iraq—amahlwempu, abantu abadala, kunye nabantwana.
Ndisaziva ndikhathazwa ngabantwana kunye noomama nootata babo abaxhelekile ezintliziyweni zabo esadibana nabo kwizibhedlele zaseIraq.
“Ndicinga ukuba ndiyaqonda,” wambombozela umhlobo wam uMartin Thomas, umongikazi wase-UK, njengoko wayehleli kwigumbi labantwana kwisibhedlele saseBaghdad ngo-1997, ezama ukuqonda ubunyani boyikekayo. “Luluhlu lokufa kwiintsana.” Phantse bonke abantwana bagwetyelwa ukufa, abanye emva kweentsuku ezininzi begcuma ziintlungu kwiimethi ezinegazi, ngaphandle kwezithomalalisi zintlungu. Abanye bafa ngokukhawuleza, bachithwa zizifo ezibangelwa ngamanzi. Njengoko ulwelo lwaluphuma emizimbeni yawo, lwalubonakala njengeziqhamo ezomileyo nezibolileyo. Ngebabephile, ngokuqinisekileyo bekufanele ukuba baphile – bahleke kwaye badanise, kwaye babaleke kwaye badlale- kodwa endaweni yoko bohlwaywa ngokukhohlakeleyo nangokubulalayo ngezigwebo zezoqoqosho ekucingelwa ukuba zenzelwe ukohlwaya ubuzwilakhe ababengenakulawula abantu.
Imfazwe yaphela kwabo bantwana, kodwa ayizange iphele kwabo basindileyo abathwele iinkumbulo ngabo.
Ngokunjalo, iziphumo zokuqhushumba kwe-US ziyaqhubeka, ngokungenakulinganiswa kwaye ngokungenakukhuseleka.
Ukufika kwethu eBaghdad, sasiya kuhlala sisiya kwihotele iAl Fanar eyayinabathunywa abaninzi.
Rhoqo, abantu bamazwe ngamazwe abafana nathi yayingabo kuphela abathengi behotele ngexesha leminyaka emide xa izohlwayo zezoqoqosho zaluminxa uqoqosho lwase-Iraq kwaye zacima neziseko zabo. Kodwa ekuqaleni kukaMatshi ka-2003, amagumbi ayegcwele ngokukhawuleza e-Al Fanar. Umnini wamema amalungu osapho lwakhe kunye nabanye abamelwane bakhe kunye nabantwana babo ukuba bangene, mhlawumbi ngethemba lokuba i-US ayizukuhlasela indawo yokuhlala eyaziwa ngokuba yindlu yamazwe ngamazwe.
Abazali baseIraq bazithiya ngomntwana wabo omdala. UAbu Milada, utata wamantombazana amabini amancinane, uMiladah noZainab, wayengunobhala wedesika yasebusuku kule hotele. Wenza amalungiselelo okuba umfazi wakhe, Umm Miladah, afudukele ehotele neentombi zabo ezimbini ezincinane. Umm uMiladah wasamkela ngezandla ezishushu ukuba sibe ngabahlobo bakhe. Kwakuyintsikelelo yokukhululwa ukuhleka kunye nokudlala nabantwana, kwaye ngandlela-thile i-antics yethu kunye nemidlalo ibonakala incinci ukuba iphazamise u-Umm Miladah kwixhala lakhe elikhulayo njengoko sasilindele i-US ukuba imvula imvula kunye nemijukujelwa phezu kwethu.
Ukuqala kohlaselo, Umm Miladah wayesoloko ebonwa engcangcazela engalawulekiyo ngenxa yoloyiko. Imini nobusuku, iziqhushumbisi zaziza kubetha iifestile kwaye zibangele ukuba iindonga ze-Al Fanar zishukume. Ukugqabhuka kweendlebe kunye nezithonga ezigulayo ziya kuvela macala onke, kufutshane nakude, kwezi veki zimbini zizayo. Ndandidla ngokumbamba uMiladah, owayeneminyaka emi-3 ubudala, kunye noZainab, udade wabo owayeneminyaka eyi-1 ½ ezingalweni zam. Ndatsho ndabona ukuba bobabini baqale ukutshixiza amazinyo, ekuseni, emini nasebusuku. Izihlandlo eziliqela, sanikela ubungqina ngoDima oneminyaka esi-8 ubudala; intombi yomnye umntu osebenza ehotele, ijonge uyise ikwidama eliphantsi lomchamo wayo, ephulukene nesinyi kwiintsuku zokuqala zokothuka nokoyika.
Yaye emva kweeveki, xa ekugqibeleni ukudubula kwaloo bhombu kwaphela, xa sathi sakuphefumla kancinane, siqonda ukuba sonke sisindile, ndandikulangazelela ukukhupha uMilada noZainab ngaphandle. Bendifuna beve ubushushu belanga kodwa ndiqale ndajongisa kumama wabo ndifuna ukuqonda ukuba uyabona na ukuba ndiphume nabantwana bakhe.
Wayehleli kwigumbi lokungena ehotele, ebukele lo mboniso ngaphandle. Amajoni aselwandle ase-US ayekhulula iibhali ezinkulu zocingo oluhlabayo ukuze abeke indawo yokukhangela ngokukhawuleza ngaphandle kwehotele yethu. Iijee zomkhosi ze-Beige, iziThuthi zaBasebenzi beSikrweqe, iitanki kunye ne-Humvees zafola izitrato kwicala ngalinye. Iinyembezi bezizehlela kuMm Miladah. Wathi: “Andizange nanini na ndicinge ukuba oku kuya kwenzeka kwilizwe lam. “Kwaye ndiziva ndilusizi kakhulu. Kwaye olu lusizi-ndicinga ukuba alusokuze luphele. ”
Wayengumprofeti oneshwangusha.
Imfazwe yayisandul’ ukuphela kwabo babulawa ngexesha lokuqhushumba kwebhombu kunye nohlaselo luka-“Shock and Awee”, kwaye yayiza kuphela ngequbuliso kumawaka amaninzi abuleweyo kwiminyaka elandelayo yokuhlaliswa komkhosi kunye nemfazwe yamakhaya. Kodwa ayizukuphela kwabasindileyo.
Iziphumo ziyaqhubeka ngokungenakulinganiswa kwaye azikhuseleki.
Iziphumo zemfazwe ziyaqhubeka kubantu abazizigidi ezisisi-2.2 abathe bafuduswa ziibhombu kunye nesiphithiphithi, abandlela zabo zokuziphilisa zitshatyalaliswa ngokungenakulungiseka, nabathe baba ziimbacu kwamanye amazwe, bahlukene nabantu ababathandayo kwaye kungalindelekanga ukuba baphinde bawabuyisele amakhaya noluntu apho. kwafuneka babaleke ngokukhawuleza. EIraq, kuqikelelwa ukuba bamalunga nezigidi ezisisi-2.8 abantu abafudukele kwiindawo abahlala kuzo, ngokutsho kweRefugees International, “ngoloyiko oluthe gqolo, kungekho lula ukufikelela kwindawo yokuhlala, ukutya, kunye neenkonzo ezisisiseko. "
Imfazwe ayikapheli kubantu abasindileyo kwintuthumbo okanye kwabo balandela imiyalelo ngokuthuthumbisa.
Ayikhange iphele kwizizukulwana ezininzi zabahlawuli berhafu base-US abaya kuqhubeka nokuhlawulela imfazwe apho oosoqoqosho uLinda Bilmes kunye noJoseph Stiglitz baye babiza ixabiso. 4 trillion zeedola.
KuBradley Manning, onovelwano olukhaliphileyo olubhentsise izenzo zolwaphulo-mthetho kwicala labaphathi bemfazwe base-US ababandakanyeka ekuthuthumbiseni, kumaqela abulalayo kunye nokubulawa, imfazwe ngokuqinisekileyo ayikapheli. Uhlala njengegorha lemfazwe elikwanti kunye nempempe, ejongene namashumi eminyaka okanye ubomi entolongweni.
Imfazwe ayinakuze iphele kumagqala abambe amanxeba ngokwasemzimbeni nangokweemvakalelo aya kuhlala de abhubhe. Ngomhla we-19 kuMatshith, kwi-10 Year Anniversary of the Shock and Awe invasion, amalungu e-Iraq Veterans Against the War, adityaniswe neZiko lamaLungelo oMgaqo-siseko kunye namanye amaqela amatsha-ntliziyo aya kubuthana phambi kweNdlu ye-White House eWashington, DC ukuqalisa inyathelo lokubanga. ilungelo labo lokuphilisa. Ngokufanelekileyo, babiza ukhathalelo lwempilo, uxanduva, kunye nembuyekezo, kwaye kanye ngokufanelekileyo, babiza inkxaso yethu.
Ilizwe eliphucukileyo liya kuthobela ubizo lwabo. Ilizwe eliphucukileyo liza kufuna imbuyekezo esuka entliziyweni kubantu base-Iraq kwaye bayeke ukuphazamisa imicimbi yabo yangaphakathi, baya kukhusela inkululeko kunye nendumiso esemthethweni kubakhweli abafana noBradley Manning, kwaye baya kuqala ukuzikhulula ekuthotyweni kwabaphathi bemfazwe kunye nabaxhamli bemfazwe. UGandhi wakha wabuzwa, "Ucinga ntoni ngempucuko yasentshona?" Kwaye ngodumo, waphendula, "Ndicinga ukuba inokuba licebo elilungileyo."
Kathy Kelly ([imeyile ikhuselwe]) uququzelele iiNyunithi zoLwazi lokuShatshazwa koLuntu (www.vcnv.org) kwaye idityaniswe nge PeaceVoice.