"What is happening is not a war, rebellion or insurgency. It is mass killing and annihilation coupled with torture.."

No Escape from Iraq's

'Gates of Hell'

No electricity, no water, no fuel, no food rations, no security, no sewage and frequent arbitrary murder with out legal recourse of any kind is what the Gates of Hell look like, as described in this article from Iraqi newspaper Azzaman.

By Jamal Mudhafar
Original Article (English)


The headline of this article is not the title of a science fiction film. It truthfully portrays what is taking place in Iraq.

The gates of hell are now wide open – thanks to the U.S. invasion – and the fires have enveloped almost everything in our country.

There is no electricity, no water, no fuel, no food rations, no security, no sewage …

There is terror everywhere and there is fear of everything - fear of the present and of what lies in the future. All indications are that our future is bleak. There is nothing left in this country to makes you feel secure about your own future or that of your children.

What is happening is not a war, rebellion or insurgency. It is mass killing and annihilation coupled with torture and the brutal, barbaric dismembering of innocent people.

Bombing and shelling of towns goes ahead and no one gives a damn for the lives lost and property damaged. Politicians have honored none of the promises they made during elections and there is a dangerous decline in public services and government performance.

The shock we have received since U.S. troops landed in our midst is beyond description. Fear and terror have gripped the nation. Wherever you are at any time of day you are liable to be killed by a stray bullet.


U.S. Soldier GrievesStray bullets are no longer the prerogative of U.S. troops and their tormentors – the insurgents. Almost everyone in Iraq now use their guns to shoot in order to scare, wound or kill.

If the bodyguards of a senior official want to reach a destination on time and are delayed by a traffic jam, they fire into the air to scare other drivers out of the way.

If someone is injured or killed as a result it is his or her problem. In fact, being killing by mistake is now perhaps one of the main causes of death in Iraq.

Trust between the people and the government has collapsed. Now we are at the mercy of the stars, as neither U.S. troops nor the government have the slightest idea of who is blowing up whom and why?