Mogul, Iraq’s largest northern city lies in Nineveh Governorate. The area has been inhabited for over 6,000 years, and St Mathew and Jonah are reputedly buried here. Mogul’s castles, monasteries and churches are a testament to its past and continuing Christian heritage, the area has the largest Christian population in Iraq.
The stutter of anti-aircraft fire heralds British and American planes patrolling this no-fly zone. Since last fleceniber,apart from a brief lull in March and a few days in May, there has been daily bombing. The targets are increasingly bizarre and now include flocks of sheep.
Dominican father Jandat Al-Kazzi at the church of the Clock (built in 1852 and so named because the clock was donated by the wife of Napoleon III) is erudite, measured and incandescent with rage. The 6Oyear old who has lived in Mosul for 13 years, accuses the British and Americans of hypocrisy. “how can they call themselves Christians”? He asked. “They are bombing a civilisation that is 6,000 years old – and the US, a country which has no history, no civilisation – is bombing every day. Every day their are new widows, new widowers, new orphans. Every day~ sisters lose their brothers, parents lose their children. Recently, 24 people were killed in a nearby village. They are boating villages – many of which are Christian.”
He continued: “Iraqi people are very moral, they have lost every thing due to the embargo and have only their morality left. Many people have sold everything, including their chairs and they sit and sleep on the floors.”
“The U.S. should say it is bombing and not pretend they are bombing military bases. Also their aircraft fire from 15km, Iraqi anti – aircraft guns have a range of 5km.How can they say they are threatened?” The former leader of the United Nations Special Commission to Iraq UNSCOM – which was responsible for the destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction is Scott Ritter. He recently stated:
“In 1999, Iraq is all bluster with nothing to back it up, with no skills in the intricacies of modem combat or air power.” He concluded that the “bulk of armaments are a relic of the fifties.”
Driving through the drought stricken and near barren land (Iraq is currently suffering the worst drought in living memory) I discovered the site of one of the most bizarre and haunting attacks thus far. Just visible from the road, was an area scattered with putrefying dead sheep and goats, fragments of metal, shredded tyres and a twisted, holed, portable water tank. The remnants of a flock of sheep that had been bombed on April 30, along with the family, minding them.
Hassan Yunis Ayoub, who was a friend and extended member of the family, described what had happened: “It was the Sabbath, so there had been around 50 people sharing food. After they left a plane came and circled for a long time, then bombed.” Hassan insisted he write down the flames of the family — Sirgesse Ayoub Sultan (60) Ahmed, his son (36). Ahmed’s children: Loukman (13), Ahmed (12), Mourtaza (11) and Soultan (6). Talking about the six year old Soultan, he said: “His grades were so good and he was so proud, he had taken a ballpoint pen (vetoed by the UN and incredibly precious) and a scrap of paper (also vetoed) with him to practice writing. What did they want from these people? His pen?”
We walked among the remains of the sheep, with the dead sheep dog lying at the head of the flock. I turned over pieces of metal with my foot and saw the blackened crater where the 5OOlb bomb had landed and I was filled with horror. Hassan said: “The old man lost his head, arms, legs, only his torso remained,” The tyre of his tractor was found 600 metres away. Hassan added: “We searched and searched for bodies, but could only gather pieces, and in the end they were buried in two tombs instead of six, as we could not identify any one piece.” Four days later, another flock of sheep was bombed on the other side of the mountain, which killed 12 people and 205 sheep.
As I stood looking at the remains, a battered truck passed by full of young conscript soldiers. Identifying a Western figure with the scene of the carnage they screamed out “bastards.” It was the only insult I heard against me in my 18 visits to Iraq since the Gulf War. Michel Nahal, a representative of the Middle East Council of Churches, was at the scene of both incidents shortly after they occurred and confirmed Hassan’s story. “The understocked and overstretched hospitals of Mosul are filled with the poorest of the poor from incidents such as this,” he said.
The whole area is flat and uninhabited. A red tractor and a white battered pick up truck pulling a water tank would have been isolated and visible for what they were. “We reserve the right to take robust action if threatened.” responded a MoD spokesman when asked about the legitimacy of targeting sheep.
From the Seeker November 1999.