Diary of Saad Eskander (2)

Diary for the periode 1-14 february 2007

On Thursday, 1 Feb, a bomb exploded in al-Maidan area (200 meter away from the National Library and Archives), killing and injuring a number of civilians.

Saturday 3 Feb was one of the bloodiest days in Baghdad. A big truck exploded in Al-Sadriya area, killing more than 150 and injuring 250 innocent people. One of my staff was badly injured, while another one was lost his cousin. Al-Sadriya is located between Al-Jamhoriya (Republican) and al-Kefah streets. A number of my staff live in the area, which is just 1 km. away from the National Library and Archives (NLA).

Sunday 4 Feb. was another bad day. Around 11.15 a big explosion shook our building. The terrorists hit the same area, which they attacked last week, i.e. Bab Al-Mughad round-about. Once more, a number of civilians were either killed or injured. My brother phoned me from London five minutes after the explosion, as did my sister-in-law, who lives in Sweden. A number of friends and relatives also rang me to see if I was OK and that nobody was hurt. The National Guards and the Police cut off all the main roads. We had to wait until they gave us the green light to leave our building. On leaving, I saw the scene of the carnage - some cars were destroyed completely.

Monday, 5 Feb., I went to the Ministry of Energy, hoping to persuade its officials to exclude the National Library and Archives from its Cut Programmes (i.e. 2-3 hour electricity each day). I had a brief meeting with the Deputy Director General of the Department of Electricity Distribution. I asked if she could provide the NLA 6 hours of electricity everyday. She told frankly that my request was out of question. Only the Council of Ministers could decide what institution could benefit from the Exemption Programme, e.g. hospitals. I understood from her that the NLA would have electricity 6 hour a day until mid-February, and after that date it would subject to the Cut Programme. So I had now to pressurise the Ministry of Culture to repair our generator. Around 12.00 I was told that one of Ms. K.’s brothers was murdered. K works at the Cataloguing Department

Shortly after getting home, a bomb went off in al-Mustabseriya road, which I and many of staff use daily. At 14.00, a group of heavily armed men attacked the area where I live, killing and injuring a lot of innocent people at random. The armed men used 12 cars in their attack. The Police and the National Guards made no move. I know one of the victims. He was a newly-graduated young man. In the afternoon, I and my close friends went by car to the centre of the city where we offered our condolences to the family of 7 young men, who were killed in the attack on al-Sadriya district. Later, I visited my cousin. He was hit by four bullets two weeks ago. It was a very gloomy day for me.

Tuesday, 6 Feb. There was no explosion, shelling or exchange of fire. I looked at the list of the names of the absentees, and noticed that one name was clearly marked. One of our administrators told me that he marked the name of Ms. S, because her brother was murdered for sectarian reasons the day before. I asked my staff if they received any information about one the librarians, Mr. M, who had been missing since the al-Sadriya car-bomb attack. The answer was negative. Mr. M had a shop in al-Sadriya area. I asked his colleague, Ismail, who lives in the same area, to search for him.

I received a well-known actor in my office. The reason for his visit was that he wanted us to collaborate with him concerning the filming of several plays in our theatre. I promised him that he could use our theatre free of charge and that we would provide him with the necessary accessories. We both agreed that it was imperative to carry on our cultural activities and events during these difficult times. He promised to come at the end of the month to talk further about our future cooperation.

Wednesday, 7 Feb, I went to the Ministry of Culture to attend the Ministerial Meeting. As all the nearby bridges and roads were closed, We (I, the driver and the guard), were forced to use the dangerous al-Jemhoriya road before crossing the al-Sinak Bridge. We needed to enter the al-Haifa Street from the south, before we could reach the building of the Ministry of Culture. Apart from our car, there were only two cars in Al-Haifa Street. Very few people dared to walk in the area. I was searched by the guards of the Ministry, before we could enter the main building. The National Guards put some of its snipers at the top of the building to protect the ministry from any sudden attack, which might be carried out by some armed group that controlled the northern parts of al-Haifa Street. At 14.00, the meeting ended, and we left the building very quickly.
There was no news about Mr. M, and everybody was worried that he might have died in the al-Sadriya attack and that his body was buried under the rubble. Mr. Sa, whom I sent to al-Sadriya area, told me that he asked a lot of people if they saw Mr. M after the car-bomb attack. They all said that they did not see him.

The Black Thursday, 8 Feb., I sent after Ismail, He told me that he still had no new information concerning the whereabout of Mr. M. Soon after, I contacted my cousin, asking him to search the two lists of the names of the dead and the injured people in Al-Sadriya attack. After ten minutes he rang me back, informing me that he did not find his name in the two lists.

In the meantime, two of our librarians came to my office, asking for my permission to search for Mr. M. I emphatically rejected their idea, I warning them that it was too dangerous to go to al-Sadriya area, as armed men were seen in the area. I also told them that I was doing my best to find Mr. M. Unfortunately, the two librarians (a Sunni and a Shi'i) did not listen to my advice. They left the building without telling anybody about their intention. About one hour later, I saw Miss. B, weeping in front of my office. I asked her why she was weeping? She replied that al-Mujahdeen told her by phone that they kidnapped the Sunni librarian in al-Sadriya area. They asked her if the librarian was Sunni or Shi'i. She told them that she did not know his religious background, and she begged them to release him. Initially, I thought that the kidnappers were Shi'I, and therefore, I contacted a number of trusted people, such as my own cousin, to contact some Shi'I armed group that was active in al-Sadriya area. I also sent one of my Shi'I librarians to the area to see if he could secure the release of the kidnapped librarian. I know Al-Sadriya very well. I was born and finished my primary school in that area, and therefore I know a lot of local people. I thought it would be relatively easy for me to release the kidnapped librarian. I was totally wrong, as I discovered soon after. The local leader of the Shi'I group told me by phone that his men did not kidnap the Sunni librarian, and that his men were doing their best to find him. He told me that it was very possible that another armed Sunni group, which was also very active in the same area, kidnapped the librarian. I felt immediately that something was wrong. I immediately asked our security if they saw another librarian with the kidnapped librarian? They said yes. The NLA was in state of total chaos. Some female librarians were crying laudly. They thought that both librarians were killed. I asked my staff to go back to their work. Thirty minutes later, the kidnapped Sunni librarian returned to our building. My staff gathered around him very quickly; some were kissing him and other congratulating him about his release. I was not happy at all; I knew that the kidnapped Shi'I librarians was in a real danger. I asked the Sunni librarian to come to my office, and not to talk to anybody else. In my office, he disclose the story of their kidnapping. He said that he and his Shi'I colleague left the building without telling anybody about their destination, and that they were kidnapped a moment later by a group of Sunni armed men in al-Maidan (just 200 meters away from the NLA). He said that he was beaten up and hit several times on his head. He claimed that he was released, after the kidnappers found out that he was Sunni. Then I asked him about the fate of his Shi'I colleague. He said that he was separated from him, immediately after the kidnapping, and that they were both taken to al-Fadhal area. I felt instantaneously that I had no enough time to save the life of my Shi'I librarian. I immediately contacted several people who had some influence in al-Fadhal area. I sent two female administrators to al-Fadhal, where they live, to see if they could persuade the kidnapers to release the Shi'I librarian. I sent another person to a well-know Sunni figure in the hope that he could intervene. One of librarians had the phone number of one our former drivers, who resigned from his job last year. He and his family and relatives live in al-Fadhal, where they had considerable influence among the locals. I told him please act very quickly to safe the kidnapped librarian. He told me that, as far as he knew, no one was kidnapped that morning. I replied that I was sure that my kidnapped librarian was in al-Fadhal, and that he should act very quickly before it was too late. He promised to do his best to secure the release of the kidnapped librarian or at least safe his life. The line went dead before we could finish our conservation. Deep in my heart I knew it was too late to safe the life of the kidnapped librarians. One hour later I learnt from several sources that my librarian was executed and that his body was dumped in an abandoned alley. We were all devastated. I thought the news might not be true. But I received a call from my assistant, which confirmed the fact that the librarian was executed soon after the kidnapping. The killers rang the family of the victim, telling them in cold blood that they murdered their son and that they should collect his body. I rang some people in the hope they could provide me with more information on the kidnapping incident.

In the evening, my brother rang me from London, asking if my family and I were all right. As always, I said we were fine. My brother was very optimistic about the New Security Plan for the City Baghdad, and that it would definitely succeed this time. I said that the new plan represented the last chance for us, and if it failed, it would be the end of the country and the escalation of the sectarian civil war on unprecedented level.

There was no more news on Friday morning. In the afternoon, I offered my condolence to the family of a young man, who was murdered for sectarian reasons two days ago. In fact, my friends and I spent most of our spare time visiting the families of the victims of the on-going sectarian violence.

At 19.20 in the evening, I received a call and was given new information. According to one of our guards, the family of the kidnapped librarian took his body. None of the victim's possessions were taken, such as his watch, ring, mobile and money.

There was no new development on Saturday, 10 Feb. concerning both the murdered librarian and the missing librarians. I decided to set up a special committee to investigate the murder of the librarian.

I have come to realise that nowadays in Baghdad, the perfect human being would be one who can switch off all his senses. To be blind and deaf is not a curse anymore, but a blessing in disguise.

Sunday 11 Feb., it was a very heavy traffic, as the national guards, the police and the US Army set up many checkpoints and closed a number of main roads.

At 9.00, the missing librarian showed up. He gave no reason or justification why he was absent. Therefore, I decided to punish him according to our regulations.

I was informed that Mrs. M was not coming, as her daughter was killed by a wandering bullet. Her husband and two sons were kidnapped two weeks ago. They were released later, after their kidnappers had beaten them ruthlessly.

I held meeting with the staff of the Computer Department. We agreed to develop our website and to fill the gap which Ali's death created. They told me that they began to put our collection of foreign publications on line. So far, they completed the Arabic collections and the PhD and [MA] theses. The Computer Department published the new issue of al-Rawafid al-Thaqafiya, which is a monthly journal. It makes a short review of all the books which the NLA obtain each month. We send the journal to all universities and important cultural institutions free of charge. Our policy is that all services should be free, including photocopying.

Then I met with the heads of several departments. We talked about the killed librarian, the deteriorating security situation and how to implement the new contract for the transportation of our staff. The majority of us were not optimistic about the New Security Plan for Baghdad, given the fact all the past plans failed in a miserable way.

I received a call from the Reuters office in Baghdad, asking me to talk about the state of the NLA. I agreed to meet the Reuters' reporter on Tuesday morning.

Monday, 12 Feb., In the past, it took me 4 minutes to get to my office by car. Nowadays, it takes my between 20 to 25 minutes to get to my office, because of heavy traffic caused by increasing numbers of checkpoints, block-roads and terrorist attacks. We needed to pass through 4 checkpoints to arrive at the NLA. Baghdad looks increasingly like a huge barracks.

As soon as I reached my office, I asked the members of the special committee to meet. The Committee asked the kidnapped librarian, the witnesses to give their testimony. At the end, the members of the committee came to conclusion that the Sunni librarian should not be blamed for the tragic death of the librarian. I endorsed the committee's findings.

At 12.28, a series of bomb explosions shock our building. From the window of office, I saw a mixture of thick black and grey smokes rising behind the building of the Ministry of Public Works and Municipality. I took some photos. As usual, my wife, my mother-in-law and friends called me as they thought that the explosions were close to our building. I reassured all of them that the centres of the explosions were not near the NLA. I was informed that my nephew and my brother-in-law, who both work in the commercial district (al-Shurjah), were safe. Two bombs went off in al-Shurjah, which is located to the south of the NLA (just 500 meters), other bombs exploded near al-Sadriya area. I learnt from my cousin that the car-bomb attack and the booby-trap bomb blast, were followed by mortar shelling. Once again, many innocent people either were killed or injured. The ambulances rushed to the damaged areas, while the Police and the National Guards blocked most of the roads, fearing from more bomb attacks. I decided to shorten our working-time, (i.e. from 8.00 to 13.00), as a precautionary measure.

Before leaving the building, I met Miss Ma., who lost her brother few weeks ago. She wept as soon as I offered her my condolences. She told me that her family decided to leave Baghdad permanently and live in Basra in the south. I promised to help as much as I could, and wished her good luck.

In the evening, as I expected, my brother called me from London, asking if everybody we knew was fine. I assured him that we all were OK. I always feel guilty about the pain and the anxiety that my presence in Baghdad causes insofar as my brother and sister are concerned. They both live abroad, and they beg me every time to go back to London.

Tuesday, 13 Feb., The presence of the armed forces and the US army can be seen everywhere in Baghdad. The number of the military check-points are increasing daily. Road traffic became a real problem for us. There is also shortage of fuel. At 9.00 I was in the Reuters Office, where I was interviewed by one of its report[er]s. The questions were all revolved around the security situation and its impact on the staff and activities of the NLA. At 10.00, I left the Reuters Office and around 10.40 I reached my office. I learnt from the news that 88 people were killed and 155 were injured in yesterday terrorist attacks against the commercial district (al-Shurjah). The statistics are always inaccurate. The number of casualties is much huger than what the media gives. One should bear in mind that many of the injured people die later on because of the lack of medical care, good doctors and neglect.

In the evening I listen to the news bulletin. The commander of the Baghdad Security Plan revealed some aspects of his scheme to restore normality and stability to the Capital. Everything looks nice and wonderful on paper. I hope he succeeds in achieving his extremely difficult task.

Wednesday, 14 Feb., the traffic was much heavier today than yesterday; US soldiers and Iraqi National Guards could bee seen everywhere in the Capital. We passed through 5 checkpoints to get to the NLA. As soon as I arrived to my office, I rang the Minister Office to see if he was available to meet me. I was told that the minister would be waiting for me. It took me thirty minutes by car to get to the Ministry of Culture. In the past, it took just two minutes. The traffic was very heavy near the Ministry; so I decided to get out of the car and walk from the Iraqi Museum to the Ministry. The distance was just 200 meters. The problem was that the left side of the road was safe, while the right side was not. It is a surreal situation. My guard insisted to walk with me until I reached the Ministry. Inside the building, I saw the employees of the Directorate of Fine Arts on strike, demanding the government to replace their annual contracts with permanent posts and to move their directorate away from al-Haifa Street. In the evening, when watching the news bulletin, our minister appeared on the screen, telling the press that he supported unconditionally the first demand of the strikers, while rejecting the idea of leaving al-Haifa Street.

In my meeting with the Minister that morning, I informed him about the murder of the librarian and security situation in our area. He advised me to set-up an investigation committee to deal with the issue. I told him that I had already done so, and that we came to a conclusion that no one should be blamed for his death. He asked me to look after my staff and to take all necessary measures to protect the NLA and its employees. After leaving the Ministry, I found out that it was extremely difficult for me to return to my office, because of the heavy road traffic and that the National Guards blocked several main roads. So I decided to go home and finish all my paperwork. But I remained in constant contact with my office. I told me secretary that, as a precautionary measure, only male staff should come to work tomorrow. I was sure that my decision would make the men unhappy about this positive discrimination. After reaching home I discovered that I forgot my newspapers in my office, so I went outside to borrow some newspapers from my close friends.