Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Saddam Hussein fell. Then violence in Iraq spiralled

Saddam Hussein fell. Then violence in Iraq spiralled

When U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Adel Amer celebrated what he thought marked the end of two decades of war and isolation under sanctions that had brought Iraq and its people to their knees.
"I was dancing like crazy and couldn't believe Saddam was gone. I felt like a bird unleashed from a cage," Amer said.

But it turned out to be just the beginning of another era of conflict and chaos that saw an insurgency, the rise of Islamist violence and sectarian strife that deepened the suffering of Amer, now 63, and his family.

Amer's troubles began long before the U.S.-led invasion, which was launched on March 20, 2003. He had deserted from the army during Saddam's war with Iran in the 1980s.

"I was fed up with facing death all the time and seeing my friends either killed or maimed by heavy Iranian shelling all the time," Amer said.

He fought back tears as he spoke to Reuters and took out an old picture of him and his fellow soldiers when he was 20 inside a trench during the conflict, which claimed one million lives.

"I told myself it’s time to flee the army. I was aware I would be executed if I was caught but staying alive was worthwhile and I did it. This is why I’m alive today," said the white-bearded Amer, who looked weak and tired after a lifetime of travails.

Amer fled his family house in a rural area near Baghdad airport to live in an orchard owned by his brother-in-law. He grew a long beard and worked as a farmer to avoid detection by Saddam's security forces.

He took another risk in 1990-1991, when Saddam's forces invaded neighbour Kuwait, a move that turned Iraq into a pariah.

A U.S.-led coalition hammered Iraqi forces and the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq for more than a decade.

Amer avoided military service in Iraq's seven-month occupation of Kuwait even after Saddam issued a decree that deserters would have part of their ear cut off or an X mark would be branded on their foreheads.

He was hated by his former army colleagues and most residents in his neighbourhood, although no one handed him in because they knew he would face execution.

"I suffered a lot and sometimes I was thinking of ending my life but told myself there is always a hope even if it was a little."

When Saddam's long dictatorship ended in 2003, Amer threw an extravagant party in his house. He would never have to run for his life again now that U.S. troops had taken control of the country, so he thought.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his generals promised to deliver a thriving democracy and prosperous economy - a sharp contrast to Saddam's rule when innocent people were tortured and killed and billions of petrodollars were squandered.

Instead, more violence followed. Al Qaeda began a devastating insurgency, unleashing bombs and beheading people. Soon Iraq would be engulfed in a sectarian civil war in 2006-2008 mostly between Sunnis and Shi'ites. Corpses could be seen floating in rivers.

IN SEARCH OF LOVED ONES

Amer and millions of other people would live in fear once again as Sunni militant groups and Shi'ite militias, many backed by regional powerhouse Iran, terrorised Iraqis and fought U.S. troops.

In October 2004, Sunni insurgents affiliated to Al Qaeda kidnapped Amer's father, brother and cousin from the family field while they were working and took them to an unknown destination only because they were Shi'ites.

"I was shocked and devastated fearing the worst will happen to my father, brother and my cousin. I was not ready to live in fear again," Amer said.

Amer spent around a year trying to determine if his relatives were dead or alive, often visiting the morgue in Baghdad where unknown bodies of those killed in communal violence were brought in.

"Around a year following the kidnapping of my father with a brother and a cousin, police came to my house and asked to go to the central morgue in Baghdad after they found the remains of three bodies dumped in a swamp not too far away from my area."

Amer recalled how he went to the morgue in Baghdad and saw corpses stacked one above the other everywhere in the building.

"I knew one body from the watch that was still around the wrist bone. It was for my brother Kadhim," he said.

He took the bodies and buried them next day in the Shi'ite city of Najaf and set up a funeral tent right at the same spot he celebrated Saddam’s demise in 2003.

Amer went into hiding again. He rarely went out except to buy food for his wife and three daughters.

Life looked up eventually.

Amer found a job with a foreign construction company in 2010.

But more trouble came three years later. Amer was arrested by a militia close to Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al Haq and was beaten and dumped on a roadside with an arm, a rib and three teeth broken.

"They said I must not work for a U.S. company because this will make me just like a spy," he said.

"It was too tough for me to accept this situation. I told myself I didn't suffer a lot under Saddam’s regime to end up losing my family members to terrorists and then tortured and humiliated by my fellow Shi’ites only because I was dreaming of a better life."

Amer quit his work fearing for his life and made up his mind to flee to Turkey in 2015. He paid $5,000 for a fake passport to flee to Europe via Greece but police in Athens airport caught him and jailed him for a week and then sent him back to Turkey.

"I was fed up with my country. It was hell for me to stay in Iraq and I decided to keep trying to migrate even if cost me my life," he said.

In 2016, Turkish police stopped a bus owned by a Turkish illegal migrant’s smuggler with 20 Iraqis including Amer on board trying to cross to Greece by boats. Amer said he was forced to return to Iraq a month later, where he now lives in fear that the Shi'ite group will hunt him down.

Amer said he is still determined to leave Iraq, two decades after U.S. troops and Iraqis pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad.

"I was in hiding under Saddam's regime, and now I'm in hiding again," he said. "Before the invasion, there was just one Saddam. Today there are many more."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
×