Iraq war trauma still fresh, but 20 years after US-led invasion, there is at least hope for many
Baghdad — Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq. US airstrikes and cruise missiles lit up the night sky of Baghdad, 20 years after the opening salvo of “Shock and Awe.”
Operation Iraqi Freedom soon led to the downfall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. However, the war claimed the lives of approximately 4,500 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
President George W. Bush’s justification for the war was based on the claim that Hussein had “weapons of mass destruction.” those weapons were never foundBut from the moment American ground forces began massing in the capital, the war had a profound impact on the lives of millions of Iraqis.
RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP/Getty Images
Just weeks after the invasion, groups of Iraqi civilians gathered around Baghdad’s towering statue of Hussein and attacked it, venting their longstanding grievances against the dictator. Television cameras captured and broadcast live around the world as members of the US Marine Corps tied a rope around the statue and pulled it.
Iraqi mobs beat it with sticks and shoes and dragged the decapitated head into the streets.The man himself is not captured Until December of that year, the moment marked the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
but The war in Iraq had just begun. The ousting of Hussein from power sparked violent riots and long and bloody factional conflicts.
“We’ve been through a lot,” said Ahmed al-Jaboury, who was just 13 years old when his country was invaded. Over the next few years he “saw things no one should see…spent days no one should live”.
His wife Muja was only nine years old when the war began. She first said she had hope for a better life. But for Ahmed and Muja, like millions across the country, hope quickly turned to despair.
Kidnappings and bombings have become commonplace as al-Qaeda branches in the country have strengthened. That group eventually morphed into a terrorist organization known as ISIS, which the US fought in Iraq, neighboring Syria and elsewhere for a decade. continue today.
“One day I was waiting for my friend to go to school and I opened the door and there were two children in front of the house, around the age of four or five,” Aljaburi recalled. Both young children died.
Muja experienced similar horrors.
CBS news
“My mother took me to school,” she recalls. “We saw dogs eating corpses. I will never forget that in my life.”
“The whole situation was critical,” Al-Jabry said. “Yes, of course it’s scary, because when you open the door, there are ten or fifteen soldiers in the door looking at you. So it’s very intimidating.”
“After 2006, 2007, maybe three or four years, things started to improve,” he said. But then “ISIS came”.
“At the time, we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t have any hopes for the future because it could deteriorate very quickly.”
He said he felt like his country was at war all the time.
Ahmad Al Rubaye/AFP/Getty
Baghdad looks safer today.
The capital’s shops and markets are bustling. Most of the concrete blast walls and barbed wire are gone. Many Iraqis say they are determined to put the country’s troubled and bloody history behind them.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanovsky, who visited Washington, D.C., told CBS News that while “there is still much more that we can all do,” Iraq is “on a cautiously optimistic path.” said he believed.
“I think a lot of things are going well now. First of all, I think you have a government. [of Iraq] We are committed to improving the lives and services of the Iraqi people,” Romanovsky said, adding, “I think it’s also a government that has a very clear interest in building Iraq’s future.”
There are still some serious challenges ahead. Iranian influence in the country The problem continues, 2,500 US troops are still in Iraq. The US commander-in-chief told CBS News that his primary role now is to prevent ISIS from regrouping and launching new attacks.
For a generation of Iraqis who grew up in the various harrowing chapters of a devastating war, it can be difficult for hope to overcome fear.
“We’re waiting for the next thing to happen,” Al-Jabry told CBS News. “We wake up every morning and expect the worst. Every day.”
“A bright day always comes with a disaster. That’s why we fear bright days like this,” he said. “We still have no electricity. The internet connection is still not working…the infrastructure is getting worse and worse.”
Despite the lingering fears, the couple, who are due to marry in October and have their first baby in September, are determined to stay in Baghdad.
“The current government is doing something for this situation. It may not be perfect, but they are doing something,” Al-Jabry admitted. It’s just a hope for a bright future.”
“Now, in my opinion, the changes that have happened in Iraq so far have certainly been for the better. It’s open to the world.”
After decades of bloodshed and sanctions, it may still take years to build a peaceful future for the people of Iraq.
Summarize this content to 100 words
Baghdad — Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq. US airstrikes and cruise missiles lit up the night sky of Baghdad, 20 years after the opening salvo of “Shock and Awe.”Operation Iraqi Freedom soon led to the downfall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. However, the war claimed the lives of approximately 4,500 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians.President George W. Bush’s justification for the war was based on the claim that Hussein had “weapons of mass destruction.” those weapons were never foundBut from the moment American ground forces began massing in the capital, the war had a profound impact on the lives of millions of Iraqis.
Iraqis wave US flags as US Marines chain down the head of a Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad’s Al Fardas Square on April 9, 2003.
RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP/Getty Images
Just weeks after the invasion, groups of Iraqi civilians gathered around Baghdad’s towering statue of Hussein and attacked it, venting their longstanding grievances against the dictator. Television cameras captured and broadcast live around the world as members of the US Marine Corps tied a rope around the statue and pulled it.
Iraqi mobs beat it with sticks and shoes and dragged the decapitated head into the streets.The man himself is not captured Until December of that year, the moment marked the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.but The war in Iraq had just begun. The ousting of Hussein from power sparked violent riots and long and bloody factional conflicts.
CBS News journalist looks back on coverage 20 years after Iraq war began
03:44
“We’ve been through a lot,” said Ahmed al-Jaboury, who was just 13 years old when his country was invaded. Over the next few years he “saw things no one should see…spent days no one should live”.
His wife Muja was only nine years old when the war began. She first said she had hope for a better life. But for Ahmed and Muja, like millions across the country, hope quickly turned to despair.Kidnappings and bombings have become commonplace as al-Qaeda branches in the country have strengthened. That group eventually morphed into a terrorist organization known as ISIS, which the US fought in Iraq, neighboring Syria and elsewhere for a decade. continue today.“One day I was waiting for my friend to go to school and I opened the door and there were two children in front of the house, around the age of four or five,” Aljaburi recalled. Both young children died.Muja experienced similar horrors.
March 20, 2023 – Ahmed and Mujah Al-Jaburi speak to CBS News at their home in Baghdad, Iraq, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the US-led aggression that began overthrowing Saddam Hussein.
CBS news
“My mother took me to school,” she recalls. “We saw dogs eating corpses. I will never forget that in my life.”
“The whole situation was critical,” Al-Jabry said. “Yes, of course it’s scary, because when you open the door, there are ten or fifteen soldiers in the door looking at you. So it’s very intimidating.””After 2006, 2007, maybe three or four years, things started to improve,” he said. But then “ISIS came”.”At the time, we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t have any hopes for the future because it could deteriorate very quickly.”He said he felt like his country was at war all the time.
People shop at the Shoruja market in the center of Iraq’s capital Baghdad on March 19, 2023.
Ahmad Al Rubaye/AFP/Getty
Baghdad looks safer today. The capital’s shops and markets are bustling. Most of the concrete blast walls and barbed wire are gone. Many Iraqis say they are determined to put the country’s troubled and bloody history behind them. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanovsky, who visited Washington, D.C., told CBS News that while “there is still much more that we can all do,” Iraq is “on a cautiously optimistic path.” said he believed.
At the 5th Baghdad International Dialogue, I recorded a video message on US-Iraq relations and future goals. The decisions we make in energy, climate, trade, finance, education, and the partnerships we forge today will determine Iraq tomorrow.— Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski (@USAmbIraq) March 19, 2023
“I think a lot of things are going well now. First of all, I think you have a government. [of Iraq] We are committed to improving the lives and services of the Iraqi people,” Romanovsky said, adding, “I think it’s also a government that has a very clear interest in building Iraq’s future.”
There are still some serious challenges ahead. Iranian influence in the country The problem continues, 2,500 US troops are still in Iraq. The US commander-in-chief told CBS News that his primary role now is to prevent ISIS from regrouping and launching new attacks.
Iraq faces political turmoil as leaders try to form new coalition
04:14
For a generation of Iraqis who grew up in the various harrowing chapters of a devastating war, it can be difficult for hope to overcome fear.”We’re waiting for the next thing to happen,” Al-Jabry told CBS News. “We wake up every morning and expect the worst. Every day.””A bright day always comes with a disaster. That’s why we fear bright days like this,” he said. “We still have no electricity. The internet connection is still not working…the infrastructure is getting worse and worse.” Despite the lingering fears, the couple, who are due to marry in October and have their first baby in September, are determined to stay in Baghdad. “The current government is doing something for this situation. It may not be perfect, but they are doing something,” Al-Jabry admitted. It’s just a hope for a bright future.”“Now, in my opinion, the changes that have happened in Iraq so far have certainly been for the better. It’s open to the world.”
After decades of bloodshed and sanctions, it may still take years to build a peaceful future for the people of Iraq.
Fighting ISIS
more
more
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-war-20-years-after-us-led-invasion-isis-fear-lingers-but-theres-hope/ Iraq war trauma still fresh, but 20 years after US-led invasion, there is at least hope for many
