Het Archiefforum

Diary for the Period 11-30 April 2007

Wednesday, 11 April
The security situation was still a little tense, and our guards remained vigilant, reporting directly to me every positive or negative development.

We had neither electricity nor internet the whole day. I contacted the Ministry, hoping that its bureaucrats would speed up the process of repairing our generator. I was promised that it would be repaired very soon.

My new driver informed me that last night at 23.30 his house was shelled by mortar. His family was extremely lucky, because the bomb landed in the garden. There were some material losses, as a number of windows and doors were damaged.

After arriving to my office, I wanted to know the well-being of some of the INLA's staff, who live in al-Fadhel, Sheikh-Omar and al-Jamhoriya. Mrs. Md told me that her children were alone in the home during the fighting, as she and her husband were unable to return to their home. They stayed in the INLA until 17.00. After the fighting came to an abrupt end, the National Guards gave the couple the green light to go back to their tiny house. She could not control her tears, when telling me how her children wept of joy, once they saw their parents at the door. There was some bad news; a rocket hit the flat of Mrs. Fa. She is an archivist and lived in Sheikh Omar. She and her family were very lucky to escape death. However, they have become homeless temporarily, as the flat was considerably damaged. She asked for a few days off. Her colleagues in Al-Ferdos Society began to collect some money for her, to help with the repairing of the flat.

I had a meeting with the staff of the Archive Reader Service and the Documentary Library Department. Eight employees work at the Department. It has two 16 mm Readers, two 35 mm Readers and two 16&35 mm Readers. Four brand-new Readers were sent by the Czech government as part of its assistance programme of the INLA. This enabled us to reopen the Archive's main Reading Room. Since the eighties, the Archive's readers have been using microfilm and microfiche copies of our documents, instead of the original. The priority now is to increase the number of the Readers and to bring new Reader-Printers, so that the readers can print out the documents and the records they need. I promised to provide the Documentary Library with a new photocopier and an A4 scanner as soon as I could. The Library also needs a number of cabinets for what remained of the INLA's collections of maps and photos. The INLA lost 98% of maps and photos, and all their cabinets in mid-April 2003.

Besides the need for more and new equipments, we discussed some other issues, notably my Oral History Project. I do believe that the period 1968-2003 cannot be fully understood, without studying it from 'below'. Scholars and the educated class in general have not fully realized the importance of documenting and archiving Oral History for understanding the recent past. I hope that I will be able to have the necessary support to realize my own project to document the thoughts and feelings of all former Iraqi soldiers regardless of their religion and ethnic background. These soldiers can alone tell the true story of the wars they took part in, notably the Kurdish War (1968-1991) the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the First Gulf War (1991) and Second Gulf War (2003). I hope I can get hold of photos of these soldiers and copies of the letters they sent to their own families. I hope I will be able to record my interviews and conversation with hundreds of these soldiers, including those who became prisoners of war. No one can comprehend Iraq's tragic history during the rule of the brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein, more than ordinary soldiers, who just took orders from their superiors.

CNN's camera crew arrived unexpectedly to my office. They asked my permission to do some filming, in the hope that they could document the story of the destruction and rebuilding of the INLA. I told them that they would not be able to achieve their task properly, as there was no electricity in the building. I advised them to contact me first to see if the power returned or not. I said the same thing to the head of the CNN Office in Baghdad.

As soon as I returned home, our neighborhood was hit by several bombs; one of which hit a primary school. It injured a number of children.

At 13.00, I went to the Faily Club, where elections for the new General Board would be held. The Club is a small one. It was first established in the 1950s, when it was founded by some Faily Kurds. As part of their anti-Kurdish policy, the Baathists and other extreme pan-Arabists closed the Club in February 1963. The Club was re-opened immediately after the fall of the Saddam regime. The most positive aspect of the New Iraq is that many issues can be dealt with through free elections. The elections of sport clubs have been held under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Sport and Youth's representatives. The elections of the Faily Club lasted three hours, at the end of which I won the post of the Deputy-President.

The head of the CNN Office rang me during the elections, wondering if his team could come back to the INLA next day; I informed him that the electricity did not return to the INLA yet, and that I did not know, if the INLA would have electricity tomorrow morning or not.

Thursday, 12 April
It was a chaotic day, as a huge explosion shook Baghdad at 7.15. The most famous bridge in the City, al-Sarrafiyah, was destroyed, as a result of a bomb attack. Some cars fell in the Tigris River, causing the death of some innocent people. The British built the Bridge in the mid-twentieth century. It is just 1 km away from the INLA. It had three different names. People who came from the outlying provinces called it the "Train Bridge" , the Baghdadis called it the " Iron Bridge" , as it was made of a bundle of bars and rails. The local people of the Sarrafiyah named it after their district. Everybody in Baghdad was sad and bewildered by the destruction of the Iron Bridge, as it was a symbol of the City. They could not find a convincing explanation for the targeting of their favourite bridge.

A few hours after the destruction of the Bridge, a suicide bomber attacked the cafeteria of the Iraq Parliament, killing at least eight people, including one Member of Parliament. This was the worst-ever breach of security in the heavily guarded Green Zone, where the Parliament is located. Ordinary people did not pay serious attention to the attack against Parliament, unlike their strong reaction to the attack against the famous Iron Bridge. I told Reuters that "blowing up Baghdad's bridges had been a military strategy to conquer and defend the city since ancient times…(but the last attacks on the Baghdad's bridges have a new motive)… Destroying the Sarafiyah Bridge is an attempt to break Iraq's unity and to polarise our society… It is a message that Baghdad will soon become two Baghdads –one for the Shi'is and one for the Sunnis". The electricity returned at 8.30, but there was still no internet. A number of the INLA's telephone lines were dead too for unknown reasons. I read and signed a heap of official papers. I asked my secretary to ring the Minister's office to make an appointment for me on Sunday or Monday, i.e. after he returns from his endless foreign trips. I asked the Head of the Administration Department to provide me with a copy of all the issues which the Ministry has not dealt with since 2006, such as the employment of a group of young people, the approaching deadline for the implementation of the Archive Storage and the Library of Pioneers Projects, the removal of unwanted furniture and the repair of the generator.

If we do not begin the two above mentioned projects before June, the INLA will lose the funds. It is widespread corruption and deliberate actions of certain elements within the Ministry of Culture which have been responsible for the delay of the two projects, especially the first one, which was supposed to begin in mid-2006. The Ministry of Finance has made it clear that, if the Ministry of Culture did not use the funds of the two projects in the first half of 2007, it would withdraw them permanently. I am truly worried about the implementation of my two projects, which I view them as essential parts of my efforts to modernize the INLA. I put a lot of time and efforts just to persuade the uninterested bureaucrats of the Ministry to accept the two projects. The INLA's technicians informed me that the last series of bomb explosions in the area broke the glass of several windows in the theatre and in the main building.

The security report of the head of the guards mentioned that some armed group attacked the National Guards' checkpoints near the INLA. Light guns, mortars and rockets were used in the attack. The fighting lasted a few hours.

Friday, 13 April
Three bombs exploded consecutively in our neighborhood at 6.40. I was awake, as I was waiting for the return of power so that I could use the computer. The power lasted one hour, from 7.00 to 8.00. I charged my computer's half-empty battery. I spent my either writing or reading.

Saturday, 14 April
I spent the first half of the day at home, doing some reading and writing.

At 14.30, I went to the internet café. As soon as I began to read my e-mails, a big explosion shook the place. Like other internet users, I went outside to see what happened. The explosion was just down the road. Seven or eight minutes later, and after I returned to the internet café, another bomb exploded in the same place. The National Guards and the Police quickly closed one part of Palestine Street (from the University of al-Mustanseriyah to the Bab al-Mudham Cross-Road).

In the last three years, Iraq in General and Baghdad in particular witnessed different types of wars. We had 'War on Hospitals', 'War on Schools', 'War on Universities' and 'War on Mosques' - the list can go on. These 'Wars' represent different phases of communal violence and the changes in the tactics of terrorist groups and Sunni and Shi'i militias. Now, we have entered a new phase: 'War of Bridges'. Another bridge, al-Chadriyah, was attacked. Attacking bridges represent serious political and social threats to the people of Baghdad. It will accelerate the dismemberment of the city and the division of its people along sectarian lines.

The security situation was bad near the INLA, as there were some sporadic armed clashes between unknown armed men and the National Guards.

Sunday, 15 April
The traffic was extremely heavy. It was a direct result of the latest attacks on the bridges. It was a chaotic day. People are very angry, and seriously worried about further bomb attacks against Baghdad's bridges. Such attacks have slowed down the pace of social and economic activities in Baghdad. People want the government to respond to the new challenge in a much more decisive manner.

I went to the Ministry of Culture to meet the Minster and to speed up the processing of some of our important papers. I talked to the Minister about several important issues, including the two important projects, i.e. the construction of five-storey storage for the National Archive and the Library of Pioneers. I explained to him in detail that the deadline for the implementation of the two projects was approaching and that we would lose the funds forever. Instead of taking direct action, he asked me to write a memorandum on the issue. This means that we will lose a few weeks because of bureaucracy and neglect. I wanted the Minister to interfere decisively in the issue. But he was reluctant to do so. Therefore, I went to the office of the Minster's Adviser, who is his right-hand man. The adviser promised me that he had already taken steps to speed up the process of bidding for the two projects. I told him that I had to have a supervising role in the two projects. He agreed reluctantly. But, I do believe that he would not allow me to play meaningful part in these projects.

Removing the waste and the debris from the INLA and providing transportation service for the INLA's staff were among the issues, which I discussed with the Minster. I needed his approval to remove the debris and to provide my staff with the necessary transport service. As I expected, the Minister did not take direct action, asking me to approach the Legal Department in the hope that it could study the two issues. The atmosphere of the meeting changed suddenly when I talked about the necessity of increasing my administrative and financial powers. The Minister is pro-centralism, and from his actions one can tell that he believes in authoritarian values and methods. Unlike him, I am a strong advocate of decentralization and liberalization of decision making and implementation. He wants people to be led, whereas I want people to take the lead. He was not happy about my contact with the Prime Minister's Office, even though I told him that it was the staff of that office who contacted me. The Minister lost his 'cool' when I asked him to honor his promise regarding the employment of a number of young people, who work in the INLA on a temporary basis. The Minister wanted me to give him all the vacancies, or at least to take the most important ones. I refused his demand, and I said it was unfair of him to interfere in my affairs. The Minister wanted to appoint people according to their political orientations and religious background, while I sought to appoint people according to their qualifications, experience and age. The ensuing argument reflects a typical clash of two systems of thinking; the first is traditional and represents the old Iraq, whereas the second is modern that must represent the new Iraq. I left the Minister unhappy, determined not to bow to pressure. I went straight to the Legal Department, Inspector General's office and the Adviser's office respectively. The results of my reluctant visit to the Ministry of Culture were mixed; on the one hand, the visit soured my relations with the Minster; on the other hand, I made sure that the two projects would begin before the deadline. I left the Ministry at 12.45 and arrived home at 14.00. The traffic was unbelievably heavy. The bridges were jammed. Installing new checkpoints at both sides of every bridge slowed down the traffic to a considerable extent.

Monday, 16 April
Mr. W. told me that his father, a university lecturer, wanted to go abroad. The father was worried that some terrorist groups might target him. Mr. W. and his small family still live in his parents' home. He is his parents' only child. The father wants his son to leave Iraq with him. Mr. W. asked me to grant him an unpaid leave for 12 months. I told him that it was not in my power any more to grant him a long time off. The Minister refuses to grant paid and unpaid leave, if they exceed one month. He has restricted the powers of his director generals.

The Council of the Heads of Departments held its regular meeting. Several issues were discussed, including the security situation, the installation of camera system inside and outside the building, the powers that will be given to the Council of Representatives, the INLA's plans to deal with power shortages, the setting up of an internal radio station and the purchase of more furniture and equipment, which a number of departments desperately need.

Tuesday, 17 April
The security situation was not bad in our area. The National Guards and their armed vehicles and tanks could be seen all over the area, including the Bab al-Mudham Roundabout, the Bridge and al-Jamhoriyah Street. The traffic became increasingly heavy.

The broadcaster and the camera crew of the German TV, ARD, arrived to the INLA at nine o'clock. The interviewed a number of the INLA's staff, including me. The questions were revolved around the destruction of the INLA and our efforts to rebuild it. The TV crew toured the building. They left the building around 11.00. At the time, two US helicopters were flying low above our building before they landed in the courtyard of the opposite building.

The Head of the Public Relations and one radio expert came to my office to discuss the internal radio project for the INLA. I asked some questions about the financial cost of the project. At the end, we decided to go ahead with the project, as it will be quite useful for security reasons. The internal radio will enable the INLA's administrators and me to talk directly to the staff in case of emergency (i.e. bomb attacks). It will help us evacuate the building in a controlled and speedy manner. As we discussed the usefulness of the project, I did not know why it brought back to my mind George Orwell's novel, 1984. I told my colleagues jokingly that the Radio could potentially turn me into another Big Brother. Modern history shows that seizing radio stations was one of the first actions that the military establishment would take to impose its dictatorial rule in Third World countries, including Iraq.

The Head of the Personnel Department informed about some of the difficulties that our staff have been facing since the destruction of the Iron Bridge last Thursday. It has become increasingly difficult for a number of our staff to come to work on time. It takes some of them two hours to arrive to the INLA, and two to three hours to return to their homes. I had no magic solution to this protracted problem. The bureaucrats of the Ministry of Culture refused to give their approval of the draft contract with the new transport contractor, saying that it violated the instructions of the General Board of Scrutiny. We told them that the security situation made it impossible for us to stick to one or two of these instructions, such as the specified number of contractors who should submit their offers. The fact that no contractor is willing to wait more than a few days, has complicated the bidding process. The bureaucrats ordered us to put a third advert for the transport auction in three national newspapers. This means that the INLA's staff will have no transport service for at least two monthes. The INLA's staff were angry about the attitudes of the Ministry's bureaucrats, when I disclosed the whole the transport story.

My new driver invited me and my wife to his wedding. I gave him 12 days off, beginning on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 18 April
It was by far the worst and the bloodiest day in Baghdad, since the implementation of the New Security Plan.

On my way to the INLA, I saw a big hole in the middle of Bab al-Mudham Road. It seemed that in the early morning, some terrorists placed a quantity of explosives inside one of the Road's manholes. Inserting explosives in roads' manholes has become the terrorists' favorite tactic to attack civilian and military vehicles.

It was apparent that the security situation was tense in and around Bab al-Mudham area. It was the same old scenario. It began with some sporadic exchanges of fire. Unfortunately, the terrorists have returned once again to al-Fadhel and al-Jamhoriyah. They even attacked the National Guards, killing two of them.

At 12.30, a blast shook the INLA's building. It was al-Fadhel again. The National Guards and police officers closed quickly a number of roads. One road was left open, so that civilians could use. The traffic became heavier, as the time passed by.

It took me some time to reach my home. Immediately after I had my lunch with my wife at 14.30, a huge blast shook the flat and opened its windows and doors. I went to the roof to see what happened. I saw a thick black smoke rising from the direction of al-Qanat Bridge. It was near the house of my new driver; therefore, I rang him to see if he and his family were OK.

Fortunately, the car bomb exploded three hundreds meters away from his house, and no one from his family was hurt.

At 15.00, as I was in my way to the Faily Cub, where I supposed to meet some of my friends, I heard a huge explosion. Some child thought the explosion was a result of a mortar attack. He was shouting and looking towards his friend "This mortar shelling has nice resonance; does not it?" Sadly, this was not the case, as I saw a huge black mushroom in the distance. After arriving to the Club and meeting my friends, I learnt that a car bomb attack caused mayhem in al-Sadriyah area. There were some unconfirmed reports that some chemical substances were used in the attack. This might explains the high number of casualties.

Each one of us began to call his friends and relatives to see be sure they were fine. I called my mother-in-law, as her house is only 200 meters was away from the centre of the blast. She assured me that none of her family was hurt. Unfortunately, one of my friends discovered by phone that her nephew and her brother-in-law lost their lives in the car bomb attack. Later, I learnt that my wife's cousin also lost his life. He was in his late thirties, married with children.

The number of the casualties began to rise very quickly. According to the most conservative estimate, at least 230 people lost their lives and many more were injured. I am certain that many of the injured people will die soon because of lack of good medical care. The victims were mostly poor people - Kurds and Shi'is. It was very sad day for everybody. I knew some of the victims. A sudden sand storm hit Baghdad immediately after the car-bomb attack, as if the nature was protesting loudly against what happened in Baghdad on that bloody day.

In the evening, my brother, his wife and my nephew (7 years old) talked to us by phone. They were worried about the al-Sadriyah's market attack. I informed them about the death of some people they knew.

I received a new security report from the head of the INLA's guards. According to the report, two rockets exploded just outside the INLA's fence at 18.30. The incident was followed by another blast in the nearby Jamhoriyah Street. At 19.00, the fighting between an armed group and the National Guards began once again in Bab al-Mudham. Soon later, armed men opened their fire extensively at the al-Mudham's local police station. The police officers reacted recklessly by opening their fire randomly in different directions. At least, one police officer was injured in the incident. At 22.30, aided by the US Army, the National Guards began to search the area around the INLA, including al-Muradyiah Mosque (10 meters away from the INLA's theatre). The Mosque is used by Sunni prayers. The INLA was not searched.

Thursday, 19 April
Surprisingly, the traffic was not heavy. It seemed that people were afraid to go outside and preferred to stay at home in the light of yesterday's criminal attacks against innocent civilians. The day witnessed sporadic exchanges of fire in Bab al-Mudhem area. I sent the head of the Department of Inspection, my driver and a guard to some place. They informed me, after returning to my office, that the National Guards fired at my car, because it was in front of their convoy! They were lucky that no one was injured. The most frightening thing in Baghdad nowadays is when some amateurish soldiers begin to fire randomly as soon as they lose their nerve. Many innocent people were killed in such incidents pointlessly.

I had another meeting with the staff of the Personnel Department. The department has been reorganized to reduce bureaucracy; more responsibilities have been delegated to junior administrators; and computers have been used increasingly to speed up daily tasks. One of the staff suggested that the Department should hold a special course for the heads of all departments so that they increase their administrative experience. I thought that the suggestion was a very good one, as many of my senior staff had little experience about administrative aspects of their tasks and responsibilities.

Since Sunday, three different courses of training have been held on a daily basis to teach junior staff (especially library and archive workers) library science, archiving, restoration, computer applications and programmes. These training courses will continue until the end of the year.

At 16.20, I went to the wedding party of my driver, although I was not in the mood. I felt it was my duty to go to the party, where I congratulated the driver and his father. I left the party two hours later. At home, my brother rang me from London asking me if my wife, my son and I needed something that he could bring with him. My wife asked him to bring some baby-food, whereas I asked him to bring three specific books.

Friday, 20 April
In the morning, I recalled the events of the passing week. There was no doubt in my own mind that the Sunni Minister of Culture has begun his counter-attack against his critics, including his Shi'i Deputy. He deprived his deputy from all his powers. He has started to appear frequently on national TV. He has also recruited a number of ex-Baathist, Arab nationalists and Sunni journalists, who have launched a propaganda campaign in his favor by praising his cultural role and support of Iraqi intellectuals! Mistrust and hostility characterize the relations between the Ministry of Culture, the intellectuals and cultural organizations. Moreover, each party suffers from fragmentation and lack of direction. They all forget the fact that "actions speak louder than words'. The state of fragmentation has weakened secular culture to large extent, while granting fanatic alien values an unprecedented opportunity to fill the cultural vacuum caused by the fall of the former dictatorial regime.

I spent most of the day's hours writing and reading.

In the afternoon and immediately after the end of curfew hours, my friends and I visited the houses of two of al-Sadriyah's victims to offer our condolences. I also visited the scene of the carnage, where more than 30 vehicles were totally destroyed, including 12 minibuses. People failed to find the bodies of most of the victims. I discovered later that two of my relatives were among the dead.

In the evening, I packed my clothes and other stuff in preparation for my tomorrow's trip to Sulaimaniya.

According to the INLA's daily security report, at 20.30, there were some sporadic armed clashes in Bab al-Mudham area. They lasted for 30 minutes.

Saturday, 21 April
At 7.10, my friend, his friend and I went by car to Sulaimaniya. It took us almost six hours to arrive to Sulaimaniya. The main road between Baghdad and Kirkuk was extremely busy. It is the safest route for thousands of small cars, mini-buses and lorries. Tens of police and military checkpoints punctuate the main road. In the middle-of-no-where, we saw some smoking rising from a burnt lorry. It seemed that some terrorists attacked the vehicle few hours earlier. We had our breakfast in Qara-Hanjir, a small Kurdish town, just outside Kirkuk. My brother left Erbil heading to Sulaimaniya at 10.00. We were both of us on the phone talking to each other. He was also accompanied by one of his close friends. I met my brother in a hotel, where I had earlier made a reservation for two rooms. In the evening, one of our friends, who live in Sulaimaniya, invited all of us to a special dinner in my brother's honor.

According to the INLA's security report, at 19.30, armed groups began to attack the National Guards from their positions in al-Fadhel and al-Jamhoriyah. At 23.00, armed men opened fire extensively at the Bab al-Mudham Police Station. Later, Coalition Forces began a search campaign in the Bab al-Mudham area.

Sunday, 22 April
Around 9.40, my secretary, Um Haitham called me. She informed me in a very anxious voice that the INLA was hit by a rocket. The first rocket hit a house close to the INLA. The second rocket hit the NLA's fence, as some of the staff were looking through the windows at the first explosion. Luckily, none of the staff was hurt. The damages were as follows:
- One part of the fence was demolished
- More than 100 rear windows were smashed
- Some pieces of furniture were destroyed, especially in the restoration laboratory
- The generator was damaged
- A number of the ventilations were damaged
- Curtains were torn

I asked my staff by phone to evacuate the building immediately and to close the INLA temporarily until the security situation improved. I also directed the technicians to repair the windows as soon as they could and to shut the damaged part of the fence immediately. I was afraid that some opportunist looters could enter the building through the demolished part of the INLA's fence.

I was on the phone for most of the time, talking to a number of my staff. I learnt that the fighting broke out that day in al-Fadhel area, and it intensified gradually.

Monday, 23 April
I was informed that the fighting died out in al-Fadhel area. Therefore, I asked my staff to go to work on Tuesday. I decided to return to Baghdad with my brother, who has not seen Baghdad for more that 22 years.

In the noon, my brother and I visited a newly established research institute in Sulaimaniya. The headquarter of the institution is located on the top of a well-planted high hill, overlooking the City of Sulaimaniya. The institute will be turned into a huge complex, as soon as the construction project will finish. The centre will have its own a satellite TV station, radio, journal, daily newspaper, seminar rooms, archive and library. I met the director, whom I knew for many years. He is very well-known and respected personality throughout Kurdistan. He talked briefly about the institution and its aims. At the end of our conversation, he asked me to leave my job in the dangerous city of Baghdad and work with him immediately in the peaceful city of Sulaimaniya. Although the offer was tempting, I said to him that I would leave Baghdad, only if I was sacked from my job. He asked me to take more time and think about the offer. My brother was closely listening to my conversation with the director. He could not believe his ears when he heard me rejecting the job offer. Afterwards, my brother tried in vain to persuade me to accept the offered job. All I promised was to cooperate closely the director of the institute.

I learnt later that a car-bomb exploded in Beirut Roundabout, near my home. A number of people were either killed or injured, and some structural damage inflicted upon nearby buildings.

Tuesday, 24 April
I hired a taxi, which took my brother and I directly to my home. The last part of the main road became dangerous, as a strong sand storm hit the provinces of Diyalah, Salah al-Din and Baghdad. My brother was speechless when he saw the prevailing chaotic conditions as soon as he entered his beloved city, Baghdad. He could not imagine how we could live under such unthinkable conditions. The reality on the ground made my brother change his views regarding everyday life in Baghdad. He begged me and my wife to leave Baghdad immediately. To reassure him, I told him that I would wait until the end of the year. If the security situation got worse, I would think of leaving Baghdad.

Relatives and close friends contacted my brother by phone. Everybody was happy that my brother was in Baghdad.

In the evening, my wife told me that on Monday, a sniper terrorized our neighborhood. My wife, her mother and my son were walking on the street, when the sniper began to fire at random. People ran for cover, shouting and screaming; my wife and her mother took refuge in a nearby photo shop.

The day also witnessed a similar incident in al-Sadriyah, as another sniper opened fire at by-passers indiscriminately. The sniper took his position in one of al-Fadhel's buildings.
According to the INLA's daily security report, there were sporadic exchanges of fire first in Bab al-Mudham at 21.30, and then in al-Jamhoriya and al-Fadhel at 23.30.

Wednesday, 25 April
I had breakfast with my brother at 6.40. During our conversation, he told me that he had not seen a single US soldier, since he entered Iraq on Friday. He spoke too soon, as a few minutes later, more than 30 US Hummers appeared in our neighborhood. US Hummers, two helicopters and many soldiers were supporting the efforts of the Iraqi National Guards to search all the houses in our neighborhood. There were also more than 40 Iraqi armed vehicles and police cars in the area. Several roads were blocked. I asked my brother to look through the window. He did not believe his eyes, when he saw tens of US Hummers and Iraqi armed vehicles blockading our neighborhood. I left my home to work, as soon as the National Guards began to search the houses. My brother stayed at home with my wife and my sister. The latter came to our home in the early morning to see my brother. She had not seen him since 1984. My wife rang me later, informing me that the National Guards, who were accompanied by US soldiers, searched our flat. The National Guards and US soldiers behaved politely.

I was in my office at 8.00. I read all the security reports for the days 21-24 April. I assessed the damages. I discovered many stray bullets had hit different parts of the building, including some windows. The situation was surprisingly calm in the area. My staff told me that they did not understand the reasons why, every time I leave Baghdad, the INLA would be subjected to direct rocket attack! I began to doubt myself!

The head of the INLA's technicians informed me that the Ministry of Culture expressed its willingness to help us financially to repair all the damages inflicted upon our building.

The Head of the Periodical Department showed me an article in al-Safeer newspaper, dated 22 April, in which the journalist distorted what I said to the Washington Post reporter regarding my anti-sectarian policy. The journalists accused me of asking every reader and visitor to the INLA about his or her religious background and political orientation, before they could enter the building! I directed the Head of the Periodical Department to contact the Chief Editor. The latter will have two choices either to apologize publicly to me through his own newspaper or I will take him to the court. I think some narrow-minded people from the INLA, who do not like my polices, are behind the publication of the article. Ministers encourage the culture of rumors to weaken undesirable directors. Our Minister has made it public that his office is open for anyone who works in the Ministry of Culture and its directorates. His action will, intentionally or unintentionally, encourage corrupt elements to sabotage any modernization effort. The former Minister adopted a similar policy, which had disastrous consequences on the Ministry. The Minister's statement has been made at a time when many director-generals have found it extremly difficulty to see him, even when it is very urgent!

According to the INLA's daily security report, some armed men clashed with the security forces in Bab al-Mudham area at 15.00. The clashes lasted for 90 minutes. At 20.30, the fighting broke out again between both sides. It lasted for 4 hours.

A friend of mine and my cousin took my brother with them to see some of Baghdad's old neighborhoods, including al-Sadriyah and Bab al-Sheikh, where our family used to live in the seventies. My brother met some of his old friends, whom he had not seen for more than two decades. He visited the famous local market, al-Sadriyah, and al-Ghafeqiyah school, where we both completed our primary education. During his tour of the area, a sniper began to open fire on people from his position in al-Fadhel. Like other people, my brother ran for cover.

Thursday, 26 April
There were some light exchanges of fire. The Head of the Financial Department came to my office, informing that his young cousin had died as a result of bomb explosion. I granted him the rest of the day off.

In the afternoon, a small bomb exploded in al-Sadriyah. My brother did not want to stay in Baghdad, as the security situation was getting worse. It was untypical of him not to question my suggestion to leave to Sulaimaniya next day!

According to the INLA's daily security report, at 20.00, there were some sporadic exchanges of fire in bab al-Mudham and al-Fadhel area. They lasted for 4 hours.

Friday, 27 April
My brother, my cousin and I left Baghdad by car, heading to Sulaimaniya. It was raining all the day long. The rain followed a minor sand storm that hit Baghdad and the provinces of Diyalah and Salah-Din. The journey lasted 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Saturday, 28 April
In Sulaimaniya, we met a number of people. In the morning, I went with my brother and cousin to a publishing Centre. One of my books is being translated into Kurdish. It was first published in Arabic by the same Centre. In the afternoon, I visited an important cultural center, Binkai Zhin. Its director and I agreed to cooperate by exchanging publications and unpublished documents. The director gave me a number of his Centre publications, as a gift. We also agreed that the Centre will re-publish my last book and the draft of my new book. In the evening, I met a representative of the newly established local think-tank institute. We agreed to cooperate in the future.

My cousin and I said my good-bys to my brother, before we returned to our hotel.

Sunday, 29 April
At 7.20, we left Sulaimaniya to Baghdad by car. It was a fine day. The weather was mild. But, the dust appeared as soon as our car approached Baghdad. There were long lines of cars at each check point. It was chaotic as the National Guards have no experience on how to deal with heavy traffics. Our car was stopped several times by Police Officers and the National Guards. Sometimes, we were ordered to show our IDs and sometimes, we were asked about our destination. Police Officers and the National Guards do not hide their anger if they see the drivers or their passengers using cell phones. Anyone who uses a cell phone at the check-point will be told off and his car will be searched.

We arrived to Baghdad at 12.50. Our neighborhood was again in a state of chaos. There were exchanges of fire, the sounds of huge explosions and roads blockades.

In the evening my secretary told me that one of her brothers-in-low's son was killed in al-Kerbala's car bomb attack. Around 240 people were either killed or injured in that barbaric attack, which took place in an open market.

According to the INLA's daily security report, armed clashes took place in Bab al-Mudham near the Ministry of Public Works and Municipality, as soon as the INLA's staff left the building. Fortunately, none of our staff was hurt. In the evening, al-Fadhel witnessed some serious armed clashes, which lasted for more than 5 hours (20.00-1.00).

Monday, 30 April
It was another chaotic day. Around 4.30, several mortar shells landed in Bab al-Mudhem, near the Ministry of Health. US Apache helicopters flew low above the area. My new driver showed up. He just came back from his honeymoon. He was thinner than before. He lost just 5 kilograms. I thought this was a good sign! The Bab al-Mudhem was quiet when I went to my office. The internet was not working. Electricity power came at 8.30. Soon after, I heard some light exchanges of fire. At 10.00, I had a meeting with the member of the INLA's Promotion Committee to discuss the prospect of promoting a number of librarians and archivists. At the end of the meeting, we agreed to promote 12 of our staff in the near future. Luckily, the promotions will not require the approval of the Minister of Culture. But, they will require the approval of the Ministry of Culture.

At 11.15, I met the representative of the Arab League of Historians to discuss the terms of a proposed cooperation agreement between the League and the INLA. I asked him to make some minor modifications before I could sign the agreement. We agreed to meet on next Wednesday.

One of our guards informed me that the National Guards wanted to close the temporary road permanently. I asked the head of our security personnel to talk to the National Guards' commander to see if we could reach an agreement concerning the passage of the INLA's cars. It seems that the National Guards will not mind that the INLA's cars use the temporary road, provided that we show them our IDs.

My personal guard, informed me that his family was looking for a new house. Sunni extremists had given him and his family an ultimatum to leave their house; otherwise they would be murdered.

I was given some good news. The arrested library worker was released the day before. He had been held by the Ministry of Interior for a few weeks. He was mistreated, and unable to come to work. Therefore, I granted him one-month paid leave.

Before I leave my office, one of our guards approached me, saying that there were some rumors about explosives placed under the Bab al-Mudhem Bridge. The two-storey al-Dorah Bridge was also shelled by mortars. Targeting Baghdad's bridges has paralyzed the Capital. It has extremely restricted the movement of people and cars. Long vehicles were forced by the government to use only two bridges, al-Muthana and al-Dorah. Both bridges are located in very hot areas. This restriction has created another fuel crisis. Long lines of cars can be seen near all the petrol stations. The incompetent officials of the Ministry of Oil have blamed the New Security Plan for the new fuel crisis. In the past, they blamed the Ministry of Electricity for any fuel crisis. People have begun to complain loudly. They have very little or no electricity, fuel and security. They cannot meet their basic needs, as vital commodities have become more expensive than before. People, politicians, civil servants, police officers and national guards cannot hide their growing pessimism.