Iraqis Traumatized by Bombings
The frequency with which Iraqis witness the carnage wreaked by explosions has psychologically scarred a high percentage of the country’s population.
Ahmad Saad al-Khazerji, 25, dreams of obtaining the necessary documents from the International Organization for Migration, which would allow him to travel out of the “land of explosive devices,” as he called it. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he acknowledged that he will be “overjoyed when the gates of Baghdad International Airport open to allow his departure, but not without a mix of some sadness about leaving the country.”
The part of Khazerji’s story worth noting is that his every move is dictated by a fear of bombs — the terms booby trap, explosion and suicide vest are a permanent fixture of all his conversations.
