Diary from Baghdad from a Belgian doctor (Dr. Geert Van Moorter) in the city

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday March 29, 2003 02:26 by Patrick M - NONE

How people from Baghdad feel.

From a different perspective. As Mao Tse Toung said: "Peace comes through the barrel of a gun."

(translated from Flemish). 28/03/03 7.45 AM.

We had heavy bombardments again last night, enormous bangs, some very nearby. A communication centre was hit though it wasn’t the central Saddam tower. It is 3 days since we were able to send or receive e-mails. We can’t even make calls anymore from here (though we can receive them). Yesterday we went to town. After the sandstorm live became ‘normal’ again with people in the sukhs, in the markets and at the bus stops.

Gazhwan, an Iraqi friend is firmly convinced the US won’t take Baghdad. The US encounter so much resistance and our elite troops haven’t even entered the battlefield. But the most important factor is probably the resistance of the Iraqi population. Dr. Moulaert and myself today visited a blood bank. We met a group of about 15 women who had just given blood. This was organised by a school principal who had asked all her friends to come along. Zahra, a 40 year old woman said: “This is our small contribution to the battle our country is involved in. But us, women, will also take part in the defence of Baghdad”, she added. “Last year we got training and we all have Kalashnikovs at home. Some of us even have RPJ-7’s, grenade launchers.”