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Hi every one
all my posts will be on this blog
http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/iraq/
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Laughter

We are loud, laughing out loud. Friends, the comedy show, is our favourite. Omar and I, today our colleague Scott joined us, watch three episodes at least (after work off course) and go off to bed with that big smile on our faces, actually tired of laughing.
by the way we keep laughing even sometimes for silly things, we just laugh for hearing the loud laughter of the man next to you. We forget the whole world for like an hour for the last few days.. and we do this from time to time and guys i think we are addicted to many shows (long story).
wish me luck, i am going back home to Fallujah, i mean to the wild wild west.. the place is going out of control.. or maybe it will be controlled before judgment day.
see u

Poor Taxi Driver

When life becomes a dreadful nightmare you have nothing to hope but to wake up. How can I wake up when a reminder pops up out of the news, personal life and even more; from any person I meet every day or perhaps every hour.
The taxi driver that I am going to tell you about is an example.
Few weeks ago I was leaving my home town city Fallujah heading to Baghdad. I was saying to my self:
“Better or worse at least I can see something different”
It was a disparate attempt to convince my self that it will be a better life when I go back to work after a day off (usually I do have these arguments with my self.. crazy..eh.. whatever”.
Back to the man, the short version of his story is:
He has three sons… the elder one is Akram and two other kids.
Akram was killed with other civilians in one of the car bombs in Fallujah.
The second son went to his secondary school and never came back.
The third son, he is 16 years old, lost one of his eyes as he was buying something to his family from a mini-market not far away from his house and a passing by military convoy were targeted by a road side bomb and shrapnel injured the kid in the eye.
The real tragedy is the mother… he says she keep thinking when ever the door knocks especially after sunset that her missing son is coming back… she heard from someone that kidnappers usually release the hostages at night. The driver had to inform all his neighbors not to knock the door after sunset, his wife health deteriorate after she run to the main door and she finds out it is not her beloved missing son.
He was asking for help to treat his son eye… bitterly I couldn’t find any humanitarian organization that can help him… or maybe I didn’t search enough as I don’t have that much time to spare…
These men are amazing… how brave and patient they are… yet they give me the example and the will to continue living…

Can Not Understand

I am tired of needing a visa to go to my city… they require a badge to enter Fallujah and I hate this.. I mean by “they” the Marines… they make these badges, finger prints, eye-scans and more x-ray search when you enter the city adding to hand search for individuals and cars .
They can set checkpoints to search every one who is coming in and out instead of this miserable solution they came with… the ironic part, their tactic is not working. The city is not safe and road side bombs and snipers didn’t stop.
I can understand why all the countries are refusing to issue visas for Iraqis except for Syria and Iran they allow Iraqis to travel but I can not understand why I need that badge to enter my city.
Oh by the way, U.S and GB and all the allied countries categorize themselves as friends. Yet they don’t issue visas for Iraqis but the “enemies” are allowing Iraqis to visit their countries “easily”.

When

I have no idea what I can do about it… but I feel so bad about my self.. I feel I am full with frustration and sadness. I do laugh and share jokes but in fact I am sad.
When this will end, i wish i know….

If it is true

I got a phone call minutes ago from one of our stringers northern Baghdad. he received a confirmation that the leader of Iraq Islamic State (the state that Al Qaeda radicals announced) have been killed in Baghdad tonight by gunmen from the Iraqi resistance.
His name is Muharib Abdullah Al Jubouri who used the name Abu Omar Al Baghdadi and apparently he is a master degree in law.
his neighbors in Al Dhulouaia town (north of Baghdad) identified him from his voice when the satellite channels like Al Jazeera air a sound track of him after posting it on their websites.
if it is come to be true, we will be the first to know...

fuel line

Today i saw this long fuel line. Hundreds of cars are waiting to get fuel, till now there is no surprise for me... what surprised me was where it starts? i couldn't guess.
the line goes into circles inside neighborhood, we followed the line and we found it is not one line.
it comes from three directions and finally unite in one line...
they will wait for at least 10 hours before getting the fuel, if they were lucky and then go back home and park their cars for a day off because we have a law allows the odd numbered vehicles (plate number) to travel in Baghdad in a day and the second day will be the even numbered.
so these men will have to park their cars tomorrow.
what a life!