Riaan Isibhakabhaka phezu kweBaghdad “sasikhanya njengesihlahla sikaKhisimusi.”
Leli gama, naphezu kwezincazelo zalo ezijabulisayo, lalisetshenziswa kaningi phakathi nalawo mahora ambalwa okuqala okuhlasela – umbutho wezempi wase-US owawubiza nge-Operation Shock and Awe – ngabashicileli bezindaba ababezabalaza ukuchaza izigcawu ezimnyama neziqhumane ezisakazwa e-Baghdad. Eminyakeni engamashumi amabili edlule namuhla, umfelandawonye oholwa yi-US wahlasela inhloko-dolobha yase-Iraq, waphonsa amabhomu ebusuku, izakhiwo ezibhidlizayo namabhuloho phambi kwamehlo ethu, okhela amasundu njengamathoshi amaningi athukuthele.
Ukuvulwa kwempi yase-Iraq, ebukwa izigidi zabantu baseMelika, kwaba ukuhlasela ebesicabanga ukuthi ngeke sikukhohlwe. Uphawu olwesabekayo lwezikhathi, njengokuhlasela kuka-9/11. Isenzakalo esichazayo sekhulu lama-21 elisha.
Ngaphandle kokugubha iminyaka engu-20 kuqale impi, ngokungafani izikhumbuzo zezwe lonke zikaSepthemba 11, iye yasinyenyela njengenkumbulo engafunwa, efihlwe ngemuva kwezindaba zokwehluleka kwebhange nezidakamizwa ezinciphisa isisindo ngokuyisimangaliso. Kukhona isikhashana sokubheka izwe lonke. Awekho ama-parade amakhulu. Asikho isitembu sokuposa esiyisikhumbuzo. Yimpi okungekho muntu ofuna ukuyikhumbula – futhi leyo, njenge-Iraqi American, angisoze ngiyikhohlwa.
Ukuhlasela kwashintsha ngendlela engenakuguquleka indlela yokuphila kwami nomndeni wami, futhi umphumela wako uyaqhubeka nokubumba kabusha izimpilo zethu kanye nekusasa lethu – kusukela kubazala abasaxoshwa kulo lonke elaseMpumalanga Ephakathi kuya ezinganeni zabo, benqatshelwe noma yini ngaphandle kokuba yisakhamuzi sase-Iraq, nakuba bengakaze baye lapho. I-Iraq. Kusihlukanise kwasibuyisela ndawonye, kwashintsha ubunjalo balabo ababenenhlanhla yokuphila iminyaka eyisikhombisa yempi; ukucekelwa phansi kwengqalasizinda yamanzi ahlanzekile, ugesi kanye nokunakekelwa kwezempilo; ukwanda kwe-extremism enobudlova; ukubuya kwenkohlakalo edlangile; kanye nokunganakwa kwalabo abafunga ukusiza. Emasosheni ase-US alwa empini, ukukhohlwa akulula: Nakuba izibazi nezinkumbulo zabo zihluke ngokuphawulekayo, i-Iraq iyingxenye yazo, futhi.
Kuyaqondakala ukuthi kungani abantu bengase bakhethe ukungakunaki lokho osekubonwe njengesahluko esiyihlazo emlandweni waseMelika. Okokuqala kwacaca ukuthi lokhu kuhlasela kwakubikezelwe ngobuhlakani bamanga bokuthi uMongameli wase-Iraq ngaleso sikhathi uSaddam Hussein wayesebenzisana ne-Al Qaeda futhi eqongelela izikhali ezibhubhisayo. Ngemuva kwalokho, ngemuva kokulahlekelwa amashumi ezinkulungwane zezimpilo kanye nokuxoshwa kwezigidi zabantu base-Iraqi, sashiya isifunda sisesimweni esibi kakhulu kunalokho esikutholile. Akukacaci ukuthi isifunda sizoke silulame nini, noma nini.
Umndeni kababa wawunezimpande eBaghdad kusukela emakhulwini eminyaka edlule kwaze kwaba yilapho beqedwa impi. Ubaba wami wazalwa ngesikhathi sokugunyazwa kweBritish e-Iraq. Wafunda ukubhukuda emfuleni iTigris futhi wacija ikhono lakhe lebhizinisi esitolo setiye sikayise esiseduze noRashid Street ngaphambi kokuba azihambele. Wayengowokuqala emndenini wakhe ukuya ekolishi, eNyuvesi yaseBaghdad, futhi engowokuqala ukushiya i-Iraq. Ngasekupheleni kwawo-1950, wathuthela e-Los Angeles, lapho afunda khona e-USC, wahlangana nomama, washada futhi wazinza eSan Fernando Valley. Lapho, amantombazane akhe amathathu achitha isikhathi esiningi sobuntwana bawo ezama ukukholisa ontanga ukuthi iBaghdad yayiyindawo yangempela, naphezu kwalokho ababekubona emakhathuni e-Hanna-Barbera.
Umdlavuza wathatha ubaba ngasekupheleni kwawo-1980; okuxakayo ukuthi sasibangelwa i-schistosomiasis, isifo esibangelwa izikelemu ezitholakala emifuleni yaseNyakatho Afrika naseMpumalanga Ephakathi. Ngenkathi uBaghdad esebuyile ukuzomfuna, ukufa kwakhe kwasho ukuthi thina – okuwukuphela kwama-Alis aseMelika – salahlekelwa ukuxhumana kwethu ne-Iraq, futhi lowo mhosha wakhula nokungezwani kwepolitiki yomhlaba. Ubushiqela bukaHussein, Impi YaseGulf yasekuqaleni kwawo-1990, ukuvinjelwa kwemithetho okwakuholwa yi-US kanye nekhono lethu elingaphelele lolimi lwesi-Arabhu kwaphinde kwasiqhelelanisa no-anti bethu, omalume kanye nabazala bethu bokuqala abangama-35 phesheya kwezilwandle. Noma kunjalo, mina nodadewethu sazitshela ukuthi umkhaya wawuyohlale use-Iraq, futhi iBaghdad yayiyohlale ikhona ukuze sisizwe.
Ngakho lapho i-“Operation Shock and Awe” ifika e-Baghdad, angizange ngisibone isihlahla sikaKhisimusi esikhanyayo noma umbukiso omangalisayo weziqhumane. Ngacabanga ngilahlekelwa abantu engibathandayo, kuze kube phakade. Kwaphawula ukuqala kohambo lokuthola umndeni wami noma yikuphi lapho engangingathola khona: I-Jordan, i-Syria, i-United Arab Emirates futhi, yebo, ekugcineni, i-Baghdad, emzamweni wokusilungisa ndawonye njengoba isifunda siqhubeka. Engakuthola kwakuqinisa impilo futhi kwadabukisa.
Umndeni wami wase-Iraqi, futhi usalokhu, ugxilile kuzo zonke izigaba zokungqubuzana. Bacasha kubhavu nangaphansi kwezitebhisi phakathi nomkhankaso wokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu futhi babuka ngokwesaba njengoba kuphangwa izinto zakudala eMnyuziyamu Kazwelonke wase-Iraq phakathi naleyo nyanga yokuqala yempi. Babaleka beqa imingcele evaliwe nezingane ezigula kakhulu ngo-2006 ngokufumbathisa onogada basemngceleni futhi basinde ngokulambisa ukubulawa kwabantu abaningi ngamavukela-mbuso amaSulumane ngemuva kokuhoxiswa kwamasosha aseMelika. Namuhla, basakhokha izimali zokuqola ukuze bathuthe izidumbu zabathandekayo babo bazibuyisele e-Wadi al Salam, indawo yamathuna angcwele amaSulumane angamaShiite eNajaf, e-Iraq.
Amasosha ase-Iraqi azinikela kuma-US Marines ngoMashi 2003.
(Laura Rauch / Associated Press)
Uma lokhu kuzwakala njengendaba yokukhala, yingoba kunjalo. Kunzima ukungakhali lapho ngikhumbula ingxoxo yokugcina engibe nayo nomalume uMahdi ngaphambi kokuba ashone ngaphandle kwezwe lakubo. Wayegula, egula efulethini elishisayo endaweni yababaleki eSyria. Ukukloloda kwezingane okufanele ngabe zisesikoleni, emuva e-Baghdad, kwaphawula ingxoxo yethu njengoba zidlala ibhola endaweni ewugwadule ngaphandle. Ngahlala izinsuku eceleni kombhede kaMahdi, ngilalele izindaba zobuntwana bakhe kanye nokuwa kwedolobha ayelithanda. Ungicele ukuthi ngibhale ngalokho engimbone edlula kukho – ukufuduka, ukulahlekelwa – ukuze umhlaba wonke uqonde. Ukube nginawo lawo mandla.
Kodwa nakhu manje, ngiyabuza: Ngicela ningamkhohlwa uMalume uMahdi, nanoma yimuphi omunye walaba ukuphila kwabo okwaqedwa futhi kwashintshwa unomphela yimpi okungekho muntu ofuna ukuyikhumbula.
Okubalulekile okumele kukhunjulwe akukhona nje ukubeka icala, nokho. Kumayelana nokuhlaziya izinhloso zethu okwamanje njengoba kumayelana nokubona imiphumela yezenzo zethu ngemva kweqiniso. Lokhu kuhlasela kwadayiselwa umphakathi waseMelika njengendlela yokushisekela izwe neyokulungisa, isijeziso sokuhlaselwa kwenhlabathi yaseMelika kanye nokuvikelwa ezinhlelweni zesikhathi esizayo. Naphezu kokuntuleka kobufakazi obumangazayo obuthinta u-Hussein, izwe lahlangana ngemuva kwenhloso eyabelwe: Yekani abantu ababi.
Ngesikhathi sokuhlasela, ngangisebenza kumagazini i-Newsweek, lapho ngisho nabahleli abakhulu abangomakad’ ebona babexoxa ngezenzakalo njengoba umuntu engase avele ebalazweni: Aphi amaphuzu abalulekile abalulekile edolobheni? Indlunkulu kahulumeni? Iziteshi ze-TV? Izindawo zokuhluza uwoyela? Mhlawumbe kwakuyisikhathi sokugcina abezindaba base-US, kanye nomphakathi wase-US, babumbene ngemuva kwesizathu esisodwa, futhi lapho i-facade ibhidlika, kanjalo nokwethemba kwethu ohlelweni oluvumela abakhi bempi amandla amaningi ahlangene.
Ukuqaphela iminyaka engu-20 yempi yase-Iraq kudinga ukubhekwa okunonya. Njengoba kwenzeka eVietnam, i-US yahlasela i-Iraq ingaboni kahle ukuthi yini eyayizofika ngemva kokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu kokuqala futhi yalahlekelwa yimpi ngokuhamba kancane kokungahambi kahle. Kudingeka siqaphele la maphethini esikhathi esedlule uma sizowashintsha. Futhi kufanele sizimisele ukuvuma i-analogue yabo njengamanje – njengeRussia, amandla amakhulu ezempi, ihlasela i-Ukraineizwe elincane elizimele, ngokuzenzisa okungamanga kwenkululeko – ukuze lilwe.
I-Baghdad kungenzeka ukuthi ibonakale ingenalutho kulokho kudla kwasekuqaleni kwevidiyo ethi “Shock and Awe” sonke esiyibuke eminyakeni engama-20 edlule. Kodwa manje sekucacile ukuthi yini ebishoda ohlakeni: abantu. Kithina esabhekana nozamcolo, noma esasixhunywe nabantu abethukile ngezansi, lolo suku akuyona into okufanele siziphoqe ukuba siyikhumbule. Kuyinhlekelele esingeke, futhi okungafanele, siyikhohlwe nanini.
