Diary

3 January 2009

Peter Oborne opens his diary

I received a pessimistic answer to this question when I asked the head of the local ‘Sons of Iraq’ group in Sadr City, one of the many American-funded militias which have sprung up across Iraq over the last 18 months — and done so much to confront the insurgency. The name of this Sons of Iraq chief was Abdul, and as his 11-year-old son served tea in a tiny backstreet garden, he told me his haunting life story. Thirty years ago, as a young university student, he was conscripted into Saddam Hussein’s army and fought for ten years against Iran. Then, in 1991, he must have been somehow involved in the uprising against Saddam that followed the Iraqi expulsion from Kuwait, and was brutally suppressed. Abdul spent the next 12 years on the run, hunted by Saddam’s secret police and only able to visit his family in secret.

With the fall of Saddam in 2003, he returned to university and completed his degree. As supervisor of the local Sons of Iraq, he was subject to threats. Several of his force have been killed, others kidnapped. He told me he is resigned to the prospect of yet another war. ‘I don’t have a good feeling about the American forces leaving in six months,’ he told me. ‘I think things will deteriorate. I believe the militias will come back. Instead of building our country, I think we will go back to fighting.’

I told Abdul how privileged I felt to meet such a brave man. At that he rose from his chair, went into his small home, and brought back a beautiful carpet which he told me had been hand-woven by his mother. ‘I want you to present this to President Bush,’ he told me, ‘to thank him for removing Saddam Hussein.’ I told him I would do what I can.

Peter Oborne is a columnist for the Daily Mail and a contributing editor of The Spectator.

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Alan Boyes

January 1st, 2009 10:12pm Report this comment

Peter - Thanks for the story, good to know you and Jim are doing alright. Nothing much is going on lately, though we were very excited over the Holidays and with the SoFA becoming law. Hope all is well, Happy New Years from Ford.

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