The Eighth Pillar: When will this utter disregard for Iraqi lives end?

Tensions have heightened after the latest rocket attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad following the loss of President Donald Trump. The rockets landed in the vicinity of the Baghdad Medical City Hospital killing an Iraqi child and injuring other Iraqi civilians. It would seem that many of us have prematurely celebrated Joe Biden’s victory.

Amidst this devastating chaos, the real victims here seem to be Iraqi citizens. Iraqi children and civilians are losing their lives as some factions continue to act under the pretext of “liberating Iraq.”

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proceeds to urge Iraqis to align their efforts in support of his campaign in the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, denouncing any party that tries to undermine the importance and integrity of the Iraqi elections as an alleged celebration of democracy.

An Iraqi demonstrator, affected by tear gas fired by Iraqi security forces, is carried during a gathering to mark the first anniversary of the anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq October 25, 2020. (Reuters)

On the other hand, Iraqi Shia cleric Ammar al-Hakim boasts of his transcontinental alliances. Moreover, MP Alia Nassif continues to level accusations of treason and corruption after discovering that a Chinese company has been stealing Iraqi funds, completely dismissing the fact that she has been admonishing the cancelation of an Iraqi-Chinese agreement that was allegedly meant to be the silver bullet for Iraq’s uncertain economic future.

As for Ayad Allawi, he remains firm in his denial of all corruption allegations within the state’s ministries. On top of all this, Ahmed al-Jubouri also known as ‘Abu Mazen’ has recently made his latest bid publicly targeting the Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi. In the midst of all this unrest, the World Health Organization has declared that Iraq is reporting the highest numbers of coronavirus cases among Arab countries.

Perhaps some will say that the death of the Iraqi child who was slaughtered by the missile attacks was unintended and that it is an honorable sacrifice in the battle to expel foreign invaders claiming that bloodshed is inevitable in the fight for liberation. I will refrain from attempting to refute any claims that say Iraqis were not the intended targets of these missiles and I will dismiss all theories and scenarios indicating otherwise.

However, we must admit that such incidents occur because some political parties only speak the language of violence, continuously resorting to missile attacks, kidnapping activists, and releasing shameful videos defaming all those who dare to participate in any protests.

Today, it is safe to say that some parties wish to turn Iraq into a battleground where missiles are launched freely with no regard for human life while the Iraqi parliament continues to exhibit its incessant ineptitude. The question we should be asking ourselves at this point is not how these missiles managed to roam freely in Baghdad’s neighborhoods, but more importantly, how long will the parliament remain indifferent to the lives of Iraqis?

When will we hear a statement from these politicians condemning the killing of innocent children, or will Iraqi lives continue to have no real value once compared to their nefarious political interests?

This piece was originally published in, and translated from, Iraqi outlet al-Mada.

Read more:

The Eighth Pillar: Irish Biden and Anbari Omar

What is the Iranian ambassador doing at the Iraqi Central Bank?

What will Iraqi-US bilateral relations look like under Biden’s administration?