For more than 30 years, Robert Fisk reported on conflict across the Middle East for The Independent, and few moments were as consequential as the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom - that first night of "shock and awe" that marked the beginning of a disastrous war.
On 20 March 2003, as American bombs rained on Baghdad, Fisk who died in 2020 aged 74 was there to witness it all. With unparalleled insight, his reports capture the fear and bemusement of Iraqis in the face of terror, and the unknowable brutality of the conflict that lay ahead of them. Here are his dispatches, as published in 'The Independent' on 21 March 2003.
Bubbles of fire tore into the sky
It was like a door slamming deep beneath the surface of the earth; a pulsating, minute-long roar of sound that brought President George Bush's supposed crusade against "terrorism" to Baghdad last night.
There was a thrashing of tracer on the horizon from the Baghdad air defences - the Second World War-era firepower of old Soviet anti-aircraft guns - and then a series of tremendous vibrations that had the ground shaking under our feet. Bubbles of fire tore into the sky around the Iraqi capital, dark red at the base, golden at the top.
Saddam Hussein, of course, has vowed to fight to the end but in Baghdad last night, there was a truly Valhalla quality about the violence. Within minutes, looking out across the Tigris river I could see pin-pricks of fire as bombs and cruise missiles exploded on to Iraq's military and communications centres and, no doubt, upon the innocent as well.
This story is from the March 20, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 20, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
As Russians target Kharkiv, 'next few days are critical'
Colonel tells Askold Krushelnycky how the situation could develop ‘dangerously’ for Kyiv’s troops as Moscow seeks to press on from the border towards Ukraine’s second city
Putin's reshuffle could be a pledge to long-haul conflict
Russia is going full steam towards becoming a ‘war economy’
Trump feared 'disaster' for campaign, Cohen alleges
Former ‘fixer’ testifies how he paid off Stormy Daniels
Thousands flee from Rafah as Israel steps up its assault
Israeli forces have pushed deep into Jabalia in northern Gaza – to recapture an area where they said Hamas had been dismantled weeks ago – while tanks and troops continue to move into the southern border city of Rafah.
Why we should worry about rise of 40-year mortgages
More than 42 per cent of new mortgages will be being paid off in pension age, but with sky-high house prices is there any other option for first-time buyers
Villa come back from dead after fan Hanks' pep talk
Aston Villa do not quite have the Hollywood ending to their season but the watching Tom Hanks got an illustration that football can script stranger drama than his line of work.
'It is the time to do it' Guardiola eves historic haul
Pep Guardiola can spend much of his season deflecting talk of potential achievements.
SILENT TREATMENT
Chit-chat during a haircut can be torturous for introverts – but now an innovative business in Helsinki is cutting the conversation. Helen Coffey applauds the pioneering move
The long and rocky road to Fury and Usyk's super bout
For the first time in 24 years, there will be an undisputed heavyweight champion when the pair fight on Saturday
'It wasn't the US that didn't get us, it was just Nashville'
As Kings of Leon release ‘Can We Please Have Fun’, singer Caleb Followill talks to Laura Barton about the wisdom of their late mother, hunting for approval in his home city and how a producer helped them get the dirt back in their sound