IRAQIS TODAY

Ordinary Iraqis are the first victims of the Iraq War, yet there is barely mention in the media today of the cruel toll the conflict has taken on them. It is difficult to give a precise estimate of the number of civilians who perished or were injured as a result of the invasion, but by all accounts the conditions on the ground are a humanitarian disaster with the civilians caught in the line of fire between the occupation forces, the militias that have taken over the country and the various insurgent groups wreaking havoc. With its infrastructure destroyed and its resources pillaged, Iraq has become a shadow of itself. At a time when there is still debate about the success of "the surge", it might be good to remember that there can be no such thing as success when the human cost is so high and the moral failure so obvious. The following testimonies from Iraqi refugees are undoubtedly only the tip of the iceberg, but they give an idea of the scope of the catastrophe.