Entering The Inferno
By Dahr Jamail
06 April, 2004
NewStandardIt began as a smooth entry into Iraq, crossing the border in record time as the four U.S. soldiers watched us just drive on by. But as my friend Rahul and I neared Ramadi and were chased by the Ali-Baba (thieves), we were jolted back into the chaos of an occupied Iraq on fire with rage against the Americans.
Let me begin by reporting that there were U.S. soldiers, surprisingly, at the border this time. They had no hardware visible, other than their M-16's. They stood idly by smoking cigarettes, watching some of the cars roll past. I wouldn't exactly say they were vigilant, in that neither myself nor Rahul, nor our driver was searched. Nor was the car. Nor were any of our bags. But, there were soldiers there, so I can report that this token gesture toward security is an improvement, useless as it may be in fulfilling its goal.
The drive went smoothly for a while, our Caprice gliding down the sunny highways through the occasional sandstorm at a cool 100 mph.
We had to take a detour off the highway to overtake a large U.S. convoy, and when trying to get back on the highway a car stopped in front of us, blocking our entry back onto the road. Another car with several men was approaching directly toward us from the back, apparently in an attempt to trap us. Our driver immediately put the car in reverse and pulled an admirable three-point turn to get us onto the highway via another nearby entry and we sped off.
He let out a deep sigh and said, "Ali-Baba" while pointing back towards the two cars on the side of the road from which we came.
Very shortly after this we came upon another Capris parked on the side of the highway just outside of Ramadi. Inside I saw three men. Our driver pointed at the car and said, "Ali-Baba, this car." Just as we passed it the car took off in pursuit of ours, as we were traveling alone. Needless to say, our driver immediately maxed out our engine, and we outran them after a few minutes of nervously checking out the back window. They had maintained a distance from us for a time, but then gave up when they realized they would be unable to catch us before we came upon another convoy just ahead. As we watched their car fade behind us, our driver angrily stated, "Ali-Baba no good!"
Just after catching our breath from this, we come upon a place where the U.S. military had sealed off the highway just outside of Falluja. The entire city was sealed off, as the military was preparing to 'pacify' the entire city with Operation Vigilant Resolve, the reprisal for the killing of four mercenaries the other day by resistance fighters. So when Iraqis are defending themselves against these hired guns, the military responds by sealing the entire city, and as I type, blood is most certainly flowing in the streets of Falluja.
We are forced to wind our way around back roads on the outskirts of Falluja, and are not happy about this. Our driver pulls over and shuts a towel in my door to cover the window, and stretches a windshield cover with an eagle on it across Rahul's window. "Nice eagle," I say smiling at him nervously, and he replied, "This is a good way of not looking American." My driver asked me to cover up with my Kefir, which I gladly did-making myself look like a Fedayin with eyeglasses. We nervously drove a long while before getting clear of Falluja, and into Baghdad.
Our brief respite was met with more terrible news from my friends in Baghdad and reading more of the horrible news. In Kufa, Sadr's militia took over the police station, an oil pipeline in the south has been torched, and across Iraq over the last two days no less than 60 people and 12 soldiers have been killed in fighting. These are merely the highlights.
So while a large portion of the Shia are now openly fighting against the occupiers, Operation Vigilant Resolve is being launched against the city of Falluja. Now all we need is for Bremer to drag the Kurds into this somehow, after he has already called Al-Sadr an 'outlaw.'
This is a far worse situation than anything I experienced my last 9 weeks here. Everyone is scared and on edge. Most hotels aren't accepting any foreigners at all. Iraq is on fire today, and right now the flames are only growing higher as the outrage toward the occupiers has drawn the militant Al-Sadr and his huge following into the battle against the Americans.
Dahr Jamail is Baghdad correspondent for The NewStandard. He is an Alaskan devoted to covering the untold stories from occupied Iraq. You can help Dahr continue his crucial work in Iraq by making donations. For more information or to donate to Dahr, visit The NewStandard. http://newstandardnews.net/iraqdispatches