Tag: Iraq

N.J. soldiers bear scars of an ambush

June 9, 2004

LANDSTUHL, Germany — The story is told in the sterile white bandage across Spc. Gregory Brown’s throat, in Cpl. Timothy Brosnan’s broken legs, in the ball bearing that lodged in Sgt. Carl Oliver’s right hand, rendering two of his fingers useless. It is the story of a wartime promise that could not be kept, of men dying as they sought to save others and of a shadowy enemy who rises from the brush along the roadside, fires a rocket-propelled grenade and melts into the landscape. For members of New Jersey’s Army National Guard, it is the story of one day in Iraq, as told by three scarred survivors evacuated from Baghdad to a U.S. military hospital, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany’s rural southwest corner. … More N.J. soldiers bear scars of an ambush

In post-war Iraq, women reach for a voice

May 25, 2003

  BAGHDAD — Rahbiya Momad has lost count of the new political parties vying for power in postwar Iraq. She knows they number in the dozens now, their names and slogans brightly spray-painted on dusty brown buildings once occupied by Saddam Hussein’s government. Momad, 61, welcomes their growth, calling the development a step toward democracy. … More In post-war Iraq, women reach for a voice

Iraq’s deadly debris: When bombs and bullets kill after the fighting ends

May 20, 2003

BAGHDAD —  In a trash-strewn field on the road to Baghdad International Airport, 8-year-old Karar Hussein went looking for adventure. He found it in a spent artillery casing, a remnant of a battle between American soldiers and the Iraqi army. The boy picked up the cylinder, straining under its weight, and heaved it as far … More Iraq’s deadly debris: When bombs and bullets kill after the fighting ends

Inflammatory rumors spark anti-American backlash

May 18, 2003

BAGHDAD — Alaa Thani walked through the blackened shell of the Iraqi Ministry of Trade last week, raising puffs of ash as he nudged bits of metal and concrete with his foot. “The Americans did this,” the 27-year-old construction worker said. “You see there is no furniture? They stole it. Then they set fire to … More Inflammatory rumors spark anti-American backlash

Armed mobs destroying Baghdad-area distilleries

May 14, 2003

BAGHDAD — Five men stood in a circle outside police headquarters here yesterday, somberly comparing notes on the day’s devastation. “Any dead?” Daniel Joseph asked. “Two guards were killed,” Albert Paul Younan replied. “I lost three,” Joseph said. “What about the factory?” another man asked. “Destroyed,” Joseph said. “What they couldn’t take, they burned.” The … More Armed mobs destroying Baghdad-area distilleries

Waiting on empty: Amid dire gas shortage, tempers fray

May 7, 2003

  BAGHDAD — Omran Mussa slumped in his car, sweat beading on his mustache under a withering afternoon sun. For three hours, he had waited in line to buy gas, burning precious fuel each time he cranked the engine to advance 15 feet. Now he was two short car-lengths from the pumps. He was about … More Waiting on empty: Amid dire gas shortage, tempers fray