Back in Iraq
joshua at Friday 11 April 9.47|
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Majad, a friend of Delshad’s shook my hand warmly and then whispered in my ear, “Saddam, goddammit!” Then he looked and me and grinned like a schoolboy who had just gotten away with something. Then he asked me if the war was over. I didn’t understand his question, until Delshad told me that the Kirkukis didn’t know about the situation in Baghdad. The paranoia of Saddam’s regime was such that no one trusted the radio and they hadn’t seen the images of the crowd pulling down the statue of Saddam in the capital because the Iraqis had banned satellite dishes.
He relates talking to one peshmergas commander:… in a vivid homecoming scene, Khoshna described how he returned to his family’s old home in Kirkuk only to find an Arab family living there. He said they were afraid of him and his troops, but he reassured them they could live there until they found a new home. Then he would like his house back, please.
He is reporting real news and talking to real people in Iraqi Kurdistan. What a fascinating concept — I wonder if anyone has told CNN, AP, or the BBC about this idea!