"[W] abantu bazohamba ubude ukuze benze, ngokwedlulele umkhawulo wabo, amasiko okuzikhulekela okuhlangene okubagcwalisa ngomqondo wokulunga nokwaneliseka okungenakuphikiswa phakathi kokungabi nabulungisa nobugebengu obushaqisayo. "
     -Love and Living, nguThomas Merton

NgoLwesithathu, Mashi 25, uMajor General David Perkins webutho laseMelika, ekhuluma ngokuthi amasosha aseMelika ahlaselwa kaningi kangakanani e-Iraq, utshele izintatheli eBaghdad, "Ukuhlasela kuphansi kakhulu kusukela ngo-Agasti 2003." UPerkins wengeze wathi, "Bekunokuhlasela okungu-1,250 ngesonto ngesikhathi udlame lushubile; manje ngezinye izikhathi kuba ngaphansi kuka-100 ngesonto."

Ngenkathi inkulumo yakhe yaba sematheni kweminye imithombo yezindaba yase-US, bekuyinduduzo encane emindenini yama-Iraqis angama-28 abulawa ekuhlaselweni e-Iraq ngosuku olulandelayo. Futhi akuzange kulethe induduzo ezihlotsheni zama-Iraqi angu-27 abulawa ngokuzibulala ngoMashi 23, noma labo abasinda ekuhlaselweni kwebhomu esikhumulweni samabhasi eBaghdad ngosuku olufanayo okwabulala ngalo ama-Iraqi ayisishiyagalolunye.

Njengoba ngisanda kubuya e-Iraq, ngathola ukuhlala e-Baghdad lapho abantu babefa ukufa okunobudlova nsuku zonke. Cishe zonke izinsuku zenyanga engangizichitha lapho ngangibona ukuhlasela kwebhomu lemoto ndawana-thile enhloko-dolobha. Cishe zonke izinsuku indawo ebizwa ngokuthi iGreen Zone yayibulawa ngodaka. Nsuku zonke kwakuthunjwa. Ngezinsuku ezimnandi kwakunamahora amane kagesi kugridi kazwelonke, ezweni manje onyakeni walo wesikhombisa liphethwe amasosha ase-US, futhi lapho manje sekunosonkontileka abazimele abangaphezu kuka-200,000.

Lapho ngibuyela ekhaya, ngabona ukunqamuka phakathi kwalelo qiniso, eliphila cishe ama-Iraqi ayizigidi ezingama-25, kanye nesipiliyoni sangempela sokuhlala e-United States - lapho iningi labezindaba lizenza sengathi ukusebenza kwe-Iraq akwenzeki, noma lisebenzisa i-yardstick ye-US enciphile. ukufa kwamasosha e-Iraq njengesilinganiso sempumelelo. Ngokwamazwi kaMajor General Perkins, "Uma ubheka ukufa kwezempi, okuyinkomba yodlame kanye nokubulawa kwabantu laphaya, ukufa kwase-US kusezingeni eliphansi kakhulu kusukela impi yaqala eminyakeni eyisithupha edlule." Kepha kuyimethrikhi engasebenziseki kangako lapho umuntu ebheka isithombe esibanzi ngaphakathi kwe-Iraq: ukubulawa okuqhubekayo kwansuku zonke kwama-Iraqis, ukuntuleka okuphelele kwengqalasizinda esebenzayo, iqiniso lokuthi umuntu oyedwa kwabayisithupha base-Iraqi usale dengwane ezindlini zabo, noma ukuthi okungenani i-1.2 Ama-Iraqi ayizigidi ashonile ngenxa yokuhlasela okuholwa yi-US kanye nokuhlala ezweni labo.

Ukusebenza kwezinyanga ezingamashumi ayisikhombisa nambili, okuchithe imali engaphezu kwezigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-607 empini (ngokulinganisa okujwayelekile), kuholele ekutheni ama-Iraqi ayizigidi ezi-2.2, ababaleki abayizigidi eziyi-2.7, oprofesa be-2,615, ososayensi nodokotela ababulawa igazi elibandayo, kanye nezintatheli ezishonile ezingama-338. . Ngaphezulu kwezigidigidi ezingama- $ 13 zabekwa kabi nguhulumeni wamanje wase-Iraq, kanti enye imali eyizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-400 iyadingeka ukuze kwakhiwe kabusha ingqalasizinda yase-Iraq. Ukuntuleka kwemisebenzi kuntengantenga phakathi kuka-25-70%, kuye ngenyanga. Kunamabhomu ezimoto angama-24 ngenyanga, izigameko zekholera eziyi-10,000 ngonyaka, amasosha ase-US ayi-4,261 afile, namasosha angaphezu kuka-70,000 alimele ngokomzimba noma ngokwengqondo.

Ayikho impilo evamile e-Baghdad. Nakuba kunembile futhi kunembile ngokobuchwepheshe ukusho ukuthi kunodlame oluncane uma kuqhathaniswa no-2006, lapho phakathi kuka-100 no-300 ama-Iraqis ayebulawa nsuku zonke, i-Iraq ifana nezwe lamaphoyisa kakhulu kunangaphambili. Amaphoyisa ase-US ahlanganisa izimoto ezinkulu ezikwazi ukumelana namabhomu, agingqika emigwaqweni egcwele isiminyaminya. Akwenzeki ukuhamba isikhathi esingaphezu kwemizuzu emihlanu ngaphandle kokuhlangana namasosha ase-Iraqi noma amaphoyisa ahambahambayo - ngokuvamile ahlanganisa amaloli agcwele amadoda ahlomile, izimpondo kanye/noma kukhala ama-siren. Abesifazane nezingane abancengayo bazulazula phakathi kwezimoto kuzo zonke izimpambano zomgwaqo. Izindiza ezinophephela emhlane zamasosha ase-US zivame ukuduma, futhi ukuduma kwezindiza zempi noma izindiza zokuthutha kuvamile. Akukho kukhulunywa ngokunxeshezelwa kwabantu base-Iraqi ngokufa, ukucekelwa phansi kanye nezinxushunxushu ezidalwe yilo msebenzi.

Izindawo ezingomakhelwane, ezihlukaniswe phakathi kwamaSunni namaShia ikakhulukazi ngenxa yesu elibizwa ngokuthi "ukuhlinzwa", zinikeza umbono ocacile we-balkanization yase-Iraq. Omakhelwane babantu abangu-300,000 bazungezwe ngokuphelele izindonga zokuqhuma kukakhonkolo ukuphakama okungamamitha ayi-10, okwenza ukuphila okuvamile kungenzeki. Ukwesaba ukuvela kabusha kodlame kunesisindo kubantu base-Iraqis, njengoba lokho okubizwa ngokuthula odlameni kuzwakala kukhathaza, kungazinzile, futhi kungenzeka kudlula ngokushesha. Akekho ongabikezela ikusasa, futhi ukuba nethemba lentuthuko eqhubekayo kunoma iyiphi ingxenye yempilo kuzwakala kuwubuwula, ngisho kuyingozi.

Isihloko sefilimu ethi "Iraq in Fragments" ka-James Longley, eqokwe njenge-Best Documentary Oscar kuma-Academy Awards ka-2007, siyichaza kangcono i-Iraq namuhla. Izwe licekelwe phansi amashumi eminyaka yenqubomgomo yaseMelika ekhungethe abantu base-Iraq. Uma sibheka emuva kuphela ku-1980, sibona uhulumeni wase-US esekela i-Iraq ne-Iran phakathi nempi yabo enyantisayo yeminyaka eyisishiyagalombili. Ngo-1991 sibona impi kaGeorge HW Bush ngokumelene ne-Iraq, kanye neyakhe, uBill Clinton, kanye noGeorge W. Bush wokwengamela iminyaka eyi-12 nengxenye yezijeziso zezomnotho zokuqothulwa kohlanga ezabulala ingxenye yesigidi sezingane zase-Iraq. Namuhla, ngaphansi kukaMongameli u-Barack Obama, okusele kwe-Iraq kuyincithakalo, kungekho ukuphela kwangempela komsebenzi obonakalayo.

Yonke inkulumo yakamuva yokuhoxa e-Iraq iyinkulumo eyize ngempela kubantu abaningi base-Iraqi, ababona izizinda zamasosha ase-US "ezihlala njalo" zisabalala ezweni lakubo, noma "inxusa" laseMelika elilingana neDolobha laseVatican, eBaghdad. Igebe phakathi kwenkulumo-ze yokuhoxa kanye neqiniso eliphansi lihlanganisa ibanga phakathi kwe-Iraq ne-United States, kuyilapho iqiniso licindezelwa ebusweni babantu base-Iraq usuku ngalunye umsebenzi uqhubeka.

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