Mina and Adnan- a True Story from Hell- by A. Rahman Alsaaidi*

A true story from the 1991 war and the Iraqi people uprising against Saddam's regime.

It was afternoon when Mina and Adnan were playing on street in front of their house in Basra, Iraq in 1991 usually their parents don’t let them go out to play on street because they’re still very young Mina was 11 and Adnan was 10 but for some reasons they let them go this time, but they told them not to be far from home and play near the house away from cars and strangers.  They only spent 15 minutes before they saw a group of young men with machines guns shouting with excitement coming toward them, they were about 15 young men wearing t-shirts, their age around 16 to 30 but one of them seems older as his gray hair appeared as he leads the group.  Mina and Adnan were frightened when they first saw them; they wanted to run back home, but the young men were faster passing the street and not paying attention to Mina and her brother.  They were heading to the (Baath Center)*where Saddam loyal men based, a few minutes later shouting started and as time pass shouting get heavier.  They surrounded center to fight those(Baathis) to kill them or capture them. 

Those (Baathi) men were made people lives hell, they sent everyone to war to get killed for Saddam’s wars with Iran, Kuwait and with other Iraqi people in the North and South and if people refuse they would be executed or at least poisoned with no access to his family or friends or a lawyer, they would send people to jail if they refuse to pay them bribery or give them what they want.  People were living like slaves under those men who have a big building in the center of district of the town and a city in the country that was how Saddam control people of Iraq that was one of his ways.  Usually those men who would do anything their commanders as them to do are fail in their education or committed crimes and just got out of prison or have a bad history.

It was a small town near Iran/ Iraqi borders this town has suffered from war with Iran when Saddam army hit the Iranian towns with arteries Iranian army hit this town back, most of people fled to other towns and cities throughout the country, also the regime executed and imprisoned men of young men and women with claims of being part of the opposition parties as there is no other political party allowed but the Baath party.  They young men were very motivated and committed to rise up against the regime especially when his army has defeated in Kuwait the troops pulled back while the collision forces aircraft destroyed them most of the soldier’s runway home and some got killed on that long road.

The Baath men were scared of Bush would go to Baghdad and kill the tyrant, but at unfortunately they stopped at the last minute, even after Bush encouraged Iraqis to stand up against the dictator, but instead of that the US and collision forces have helped the brutal regime against those Iraqis who started the revolution and got held of 14 out of 18 provinces. They have turned a blind eye to his helicopters bombing the revolutionists and then sent the Republican Guards who have not been in any battle to fight them on ground, it wasn’t very long until he regain those 14 provinces but after killing over 300,000 innocents some of them were buried alive, what it called now the (intifatha mass graves) that Iraq have been discovering them every month throughout the country. Mina and Adnan were killed in one of the battles in their small town. 

 

1-     *  I have seen how those helicopters bombed everything moving on street and destroyed our houses while the US forces were watching.   I was one of those young men who witnessed how the uprising ended dramatically, most of men with me got killed or captured by Saddam forces, I was lucky slipped from death and crossed the Iraqi/Saudi borders.  I lived in a tent in Saudi desert for 6 years but that is another story.

2-     *  Baath Party is a fascist political party that has run Iraq for over 35 years using inhumane vicious way to control people; Saddam was the leader of the party in addition to the government leadership and the military forces.

Author's Note

I have written this story as a witness of that war and the uprising we were invovled in without having a choice, I am not the best short story writer nor good at English grammar but my experience of writing many stories and articles in Arabic has helped me a little to have the courage and tell a real story not the one you see on CNN or NY Times.
Any comment will be very much appreciated.

Reviews

[Linda alexander]

Civilians especially innocent civilians and their dreams which are the youngsters are the victims have to suffer without choice and control, we can see these phenomena all through out history globally speaking, always sad

[Abdul Alsaaidi]

Linda, that is absolutely truth. I am not saying all wars are bad, sometime we need to fight for our freedom or saving other lives, but we dream of having a world without killing innocents!

[Linda alexander]

So true, take care

[Will Neill]

Abdul, It was good to read a story about first hand experience during that awful time in history, and its always a good day when you learn something, I enjoyed reading your story and am wiser for it.
Thank You.
take care.
Will