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IWPR Trainee interviews arms trafficker
EFL I highlighted an interesting tidbitIn a farm overlooking the Euphrates River in the town of Hit, some 200 kilometres west of Baghdad, Fahd (not his real name) sits in his small hut surrounded by bags of TNT. On the shelves around him are detonator devices, cords, and hand grenades, while the ground is covered with rows of shells for artillery and tanks. Formerly, this 48-year-old amateur demolitions expert made his living selling bombs to fishermen to use for catching fish. But he told an IWPR reporter that his best customers now are guerrillas from neighbouring communities. "The Fallujah resistance [fighters] are my most common customers, and after that mujahideen of Diala [north of Baghdad] who distinguish themselves by planting bombs professionally," said Fahd. So far, he has not had any buyers from the radical Shiite Mahdi Army, which also has been at war with the Coalition forces. Fahd has worked in explosives for 12 years, both before the fall of Saddam and after. At first, his bombs were used to catch fish - but today he has other customers. "I sell the bombs to the mujahideen, after assembling them and mixing them with even more dangerous materials," Fahd said. Posted by: Super Hose 2004-07-29 |
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