Baghdad Bombing

Introduction

The terrorist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) set off a massive car bomb in Bagdad, Iraq on the 3rd of July, 2016. Since the U.S. led invasion in 2003, Iraq has not seen a more devastating day of violence, and the death toll in this heavily Shia neighborhood has risen to 250. Terrorist attacks by ISIS have rocked the Middle East for the past two years, further destabilizing the already insecure region. U.S., U.N., and E.U. efforts to curb these attacks have apparently been unsuccessful, and the presence of the terror group is growing so intense that an international accord may be sought to end the threat. This comes as little comfort to the people of Bagdad today.

Legacy of Violence

ISIS was formed out of the ashes of Iraq during the nine years the United States occupied it. Analysts agree the largest mistake the Bush administration made during the war was the disbanding of the Iraqis’ army. This single act left tens of thousands of Iraqis without a job, a way to support their family, and without a career. These many men left without sustenance or purpose began rebel fighters who would eventually join up with a branch of Al-Qaeda (formed in the vacuum of 2004) to create the foundation for ISIS (Crethiplethi). 

Once the U.S. disbanded the army they could not get them back together as a security force for the enforced democratic national Shi’ite regime. Unconcerned about the delicacy of these religious and racial lines, the U.S. chosen “regime alienated the Sunni population, which had traditionally controlled the country, even though they were a minority (about 22% of the Iraqi population is Sunni Arabs — alongside the Kurds, who are also Sunnis — while about 60% of Iraqis are Shi’ites)” (Crethiplethi). This led to a further enlargement of the Sunnis/Shi’ites struggle which has grown into a web of violence. Four stages can be seen in the path of ISIS’s development after the decisive choice of the U.S. to disband the army:

1.Stage One (2004-2006) — The establishment of the branch of Al-Qaeda in Iraq led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and called “Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia:” It waged a terrorist-guerilla war against the American and coalition forces and against the Shi’ite population.

2. Stage Two (2006-2011) — Establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI): ISI served as an umbrella network for several jihadi organizations that continued waging a terrorist-guerilla campaign against the United States, its coalition allies and the Shi’ite population.

3. Stage Three (2012-June 2014) — The strengthening of ISI and the founding of ISIS: After the American army withdrew from Iraq ISI became stronger. Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war ISI established a branch in Syria called the Al-Nusra Front (“support front”).

4. Stage Four (as of June 2014) — Dramatic ISIS military achievements: The most prominent was the takeover of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. At the same time ISIS established its control in eastern Syria where it set up a governmental center (its “capital city”) in Al-Raqqah. (Crethiplethi).

This is the path of war profiteering, disregard, and insensitivity into which ISIS was born.

Recent Bombing

ISIS is becoming the boogeyman of the world, and this recent suicide bombing attack only heightens international tensions. Understanding the impact of the time and place, “A lorry packed with explosives blew up on a crowded shopping street, which was packed with families out socialising after they had broken their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Many of those killed were women and children” (Algazeera). The choice to target women and children is the choice to send a specific message- What you love most is not safe. 

The Bagdad authorities recognized that they had not done enough to protect their citizens. As a result, “interior minister Mohammed al-Ghabban offered to resign, saying authorities ‘had failed in having the different array of security forces work under a unified plan in Baghdad’” (Aljazeera). The steps that the government had taken to ensure protection were superficial, and did not cover the bases efficiently. As such, “Ghabban called on the government to hand over responsibility for the security of the country's cities to the interior ministry and described the hundreds of checkpoints dotted around the capital as ‘absolutely useless’” (Algazeera). Currently the responsibility for public safety is shared by the local police, the federal police, and the army. It is likely that greater communication and real collaboration is needed between these groups to close the loopholes in security which allows such violence through. 

Victims Too Many Times

From their position, Iraqis citizens blame the political leadership for their vulnerability. These, “lapses in security in Baghdad that have allowed large amounts of explosives to be transported past checkpoints and into neighborhoods packed with civilians” (Algazeera). As a result of this feeling of vulnerability and rage protestors have marched from Karada to Abadi’s home to impress their anger. Currently the nation is in a state of mourning which is all too familiar to the people of Bagdad. Many traveled to the region to stand in solidarity, and;

They came in groups, or individually, to the still-smoldering wreckage that was, just a few days ago, a busy stretch of road in the Baghdad neighborhood of Karrada. As they approached the charred skeletons that line the street, their faces go slack with shock. Jaws drop. (Wedeman)

Those Iraqis who searched through the wreckage found little more than charred flesh, as the bomb was incredibly powerful, eradicating all within its blast radius. Sami Hadi is a government employee who searched the looking for his two cousins and their three children who had come here to purchase new clothing for the holiday which follows Ramadan, Eid al-. However, “Sami had scoured floor after floor for a trace of them. ’There are only charred pieces of flesh…We can’t recognize anyone’” (). Even with that level of grotesque devastation, Hadi did not cease his search. Eventually, “Sami actually did find a trace of his relatives. He found a phone that looked familiar, checked the SIM card and discovered it belonged to one of his cousins. With that discovery, he left, refusing to say another word” (). The psychological horror of that process will never leave Hadi, most likely in a state of shock during the unholy process, but it will remain. 

As of yesterday, the 5th of July, people still continue to search the ruins. The devastation of the bomb’s explosion leaves many missing, and identification of the bodies extremely difficult. Um Fadhil, a woman in her sixties, spent over 24 hours searching for her son, but she found nothing. Instead, she admits, “’I went to the hospitals: nothing…I went to all the morgues: nothing. All I saw was burned bodies’” (Wedeman). This is the general case with many who are searching for missing loved ones. The blast was such;

Police say that of the bodies they've recovered, 81 are so badly burned they're simply beyond recognition. The only way to make a positive identification will be through DNA testing. And they're not just finding bodies. The stores hit in the blast are littered with body parts, slowly being collected in plastic bags and bed sheets by volunteers. (Wedeman)

The account of 250 dead is only an early estimate, and the reality is no one yet knows what a more accurate count will look like. The horrid reality of Bagdad is “So you have the authorities in possession of dozens of unrecognizable bodies, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of Baghdad residents searching for loved ones who, for all intents and purposes, disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace Saturday” (Wedeman). The force of the blast was so hot that it is likely that no accurate identification will ever be possible. Officials report, “One volunteer who was carrying away the dead said the floor in some of the shops was thick with what he called ‘melted bodies’” (Wedeman). The absolute carnage of the attack is simply akin to a warzone, and no other allusion even comes close.

The police on the scene did as much consoling as they did anything else, after there was not much to be done in the immediate aftermath of shock. The horror and immensity of this attack is difficult to communicate;

One man in his late 20s found his missing brother's prayer beads and a scrap of cloth he said was a shred of the shirt he last wore. He had run from the rubble sobbing, but was stopped by a pair of policemen, who tried to console him. They sat him in a plastic chair, urged him to drink some water, wet his face to calm him down, all to no avail. (Wedeman)

In response to this the general public all feel the core effects of terrorism as never before. Although war is a horror, there is some reason to it, while terrorism is without reason and all the more terrifying for it. Iraquis feel that they have no government, no structure, no protection, and no real standing in the international community. After all, the last two decades have been a constant torture for them (Bowen). The mourners have a candlelight vigil, and join in prayer saying “With deep sorrow, pain and sympathy, we mourn the martyrs of the tragedy of the heinous, dastardly and cowardly bombing at Karrada in Baghdad at dawn today. Dozens of sons of our dear people were killed in the attack” (Chappell). That number is a vast understatement, and the true range of the carnage may not be known for some time. 

However, while Bagdad is being called the terrorism capital of the world, it is the responsibility of the United States to do more to protect the people as they are responsible in large part for the destabilization (Salim and Morris). Especially since it is now know that Iraq was not involved in 9/11 and had no WMDs. While the U.S. set the stage, “Terrorism does not terrorize equally. It is not processed equitably. The identities of the perpetrators and victims, the scale and apparent significance of the massacre, the setting and novelty of the violence—all these variables shape how grief is expressed” (Friedman). These cycles must be ended. 

Conclusion

The recent Bagdad bombing is a tragedy on an escalating scale of international tragedy which does not appear to have any end. The root causes of this violence stem in racism, classism, resource exploration, and the constant pressure of “progress” at the expense of a sustainable environment. Compassion and blessings to the people of Iraq today and always.

Works Cited

Aljazeera. “Iraq bombing: Baghdad death toll rises to 250.” Aljazerra.com, 6 July 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/iraq-bombing-baghdad-death-toll-rises-250-160706045245744.html

Bowen, Jeremy. “Iraq sees worst bombing since invasion with 250 deaths.” BBC, 6 July 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36720720

Chappell, Bill. “Iraqis Vent Anger And Blame Over Baghdad Bombing That Killed At Least 157.” NPR, 4 July 4th 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/04/484669803/iraqis-vent-anger-and-blame-over-baghdad-bombing-that-killed-at-least-150

Crethiplethi. “The Historical Roots and Stages in the Development of ISIS.” Crethiplethi.com, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.crethiplethi.com/the-historical-roots-and-stages-in-the-development-of-isis/islamic-countries/syria-islamic-countries/2015/

Friedman, Uri. “Iraq: The World Capital of Terrorism.” The Atlantic, 5 July 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/iraq-terrorism-isis-world/489974/

Salim, Mustafa, and Loveday Morris. “After Baghdad bombing, Iraqis angry at use of rebranded golf-ball finders as bomb detectors.” The Washington Post, 5 July 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/07/05/after-deadly-baghdad-bombing-iraqis-place-blame-on-fake-bomb-detectors.html

Wedeman, Ben. “After night of burning and bombing, mourning in Baghdad.” CNN, 5 July, 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/04/middleeast/iraq-baghdad-death-knocks/