After many dark nights, deafening air strike sirens, heavy military presence in the city and food and water shortage the news came about of the Desert Storm operation is over. It was Feb 27, 1991 my 19th birthday.
The government of Saddam Hussein kept it’s tight grip on civilians as it became weaker with the rumor that the government is falling and Saddam is dead.
A radio station came about announcing the Kurdish Uprising is underway and one village after another, one small town after another we heard on the radio are falling to the hands of the Kurdish fighter (Pesh-Margah)… We anxiously awaited each moment of the day the news as the brave fighters drew nearer and nearer to our city.
They recruited fighters as the liberated each area out of the hand of the regime. Exposing with every liberated village the horror stories of atrocities committed against the Kurdish people in the hand of the government. It fueled up the passion and bravery in the heart of many to rise up and fight.
The day came when the fighters surrounded the city of Sulimanyah. I remember to this day at the wee hours of March 1991 I snuck outside. The city was under complete curfew not a soul was allowed outside or even visible by military scattered all through the town. Sirens and helicopters was repeatedly announcing the curfew.
That early moments before the sun rise, I stepped into our balcony… It was absolute silence. It was scary, silence… I smelled gunpowder in the air as from the distance sounds of fire exchange between the fighters and the government begun.
With every passing hour, the shelling, bombing, shooting, explosions got closer and closer… tanks crushing the pavement of the street behind our house as they rolled one after another. We lived in a large house 2 blocks away from the red building (central intelligence) police station. It was such a tightly guarded building, even as little girls walk by and curiously looked at the guards or the building, the guards would point thier riffle at us and shout at us to look away.
The fiercest fighting that lasted over 2 days took place at that building… The army fought for 24hrs non stop as they circulated randomly shelling with mortar shells or rapid propelled grenades neighboring homes continually from the roof of the red building. One of those rapid propelled grenades hit our house and blew up windows of our bedrooms above. As we took shelter in our basemen… see in the picture of our house, the very top right of the picture you see the broken wall.
It was loud and scary but with triumphant results of liberating our city from the government of Saddam Hussein. As the news of the city falling came about, people cheered, shot bullets into the air and some even danced in the street.
There was unpleasant scenes of remains of government agents all over the city.. Very unpleasant sights. Mortifying and scary… We saw with our own eyes what was inside that red building. It was shocking, horrifying and sad beyond words.
A radio station came about announcing the Kurdish Uprising is underway and one village after another, one small town after another we heard on the radio are falling to the hands of the Kurdish fighter (Pesh-Margah)… We anxiously awaited each moment of the day the news as the brave fighters drew nearer and nearer to our city.
They recruited fighters as the liberated each area out of the hand of the regime. Exposing with every liberated village the horror stories of atrocities committed against the Kurdish people in the hand of the government. It fueled up the passion and bravery in the heart of many to rise up and fight.
The day came when the fighters surrounded the city of Sulimanyah. I remember to this day at the wee hours of March 1991 I snuck outside. The city was under complete curfew not a soul was allowed outside or even visible by military scattered all through the town. Sirens and helicopters was repeatedly announcing the curfew.
That early moments before the sun rise, I stepped into our balcony… It was absolute silence. It was scary, silence… I smelled gunpowder in the air as from the distance sounds of fire exchange between the fighters and the government begun.
With every passing hour, the shelling, bombing, shooting, explosions got closer and closer… tanks crushing the pavement of the street behind our house as they rolled one after another. We lived in a large house 2 blocks away from the red building (central intelligence) police station. It was such a tightly guarded building, even as little girls walk by and curiously looked at the guards or the building, the guards would point thier riffle at us and shout at us to look away.
The fiercest fighting that lasted over 2 days took place at that building… The army fought for 24hrs non stop as they circulated randomly shelling with mortar shells or rapid propelled grenades neighboring homes continually from the roof of the red building. One of those rapid propelled grenades hit our house and blew up windows of our bedrooms above. As we took shelter in our basemen… see in the picture of our house, the very top right of the picture you see the broken wall.
It was loud and scary but with triumphant results of liberating our city from the government of Saddam Hussein. As the news of the city falling came about, people cheered, shot bullets into the air and some even danced in the street.
There was unpleasant scenes of remains of government agents all over the city.. Very unpleasant sights. Mortifying and scary… We saw with our own eyes what was inside that red building. It was shocking, horrifying and sad beyond words.
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