It's impossible to imagine what it's like to be a child in Iraq today. Children feel the horrors of war acutely. Its devastating effects shatter young lives. But this group of Iraqis does not have to imagine — they lived through it themselves, in Baghdad during 1991's Gulf War. For Saleh, Amer and his sister Maha, Ban and her husband Mohammed, this new war brings back agonizing memories.
Mohammed, now 23 years old, was just 11 when the American bombers arrived. "I remember it was at 2:30 a.m. on the 17th of January when the first bomb fell on Baghdad," he told Walters for ABCNEWS 2020. "We all went downstairs underneath the stairs because they're made with bricks. So at least we have a chance to be dug out alive if anything happened to the house." He added: "I remember it was really scary, the house was shaking. Everybody was just going crazy. … And you have this mixed feeling: Am I going to be next to die?" Over 43 days and nights, hundreds of bombs fell on Baghdad. Amer was 13 and says he was unafraid. "I used to count the bombs that dropped. I used to go and tell everyone, 'Oh, today they dropped seven bombs,' " he said. "You went to sleep every night thinking, 'Tomorrow, I am either going to be free, or I am going to be dead.' " His sister Maha, now a medical doctor, was 15. "I remember very well that my father said, 'Don't panic, we don't even have to go to the shelter,' " she said. "And actually, we stood behind the windows, watching the cruise missiles hitting the Ministry of Defense, across the river from us." ‘Always Having to Worry About Tomorrow’ The children of Baghdad had more to fear than missile strikes. For months, there was no running water or electricity. Far more civilians died from the effect of these deprivations than from bombings. "And when you look at your past and you realize that you can't remember your childhood or your teenage years," says Maha. "I've been an adult since [as long] I can remember, always having to worry about tomorrow." After the allied forces liberated Kuwait, tens of thousands of Iraqis rose up against Saddam Hussein, encouraged by the allied coalition's success. But the Americans abandoned Iraq without advancing on Baghdad. Saddam crushed the uprising. At least 30,000 civilians died in the bloodbath that followed, and Iraqis still feel betrayed by the United States. "We lost faith," recalled Maha. "Iraqis used to walk like zombies. I mean, you should have seen the look on their faces. People forgot about the war, forgot about that the houses that were ruined." But Maha says that pales in comparison to what Saddam is doing to Iraqis. "Each Iraqi wakes up in the morning, [wondering] if this is my day. 'Am I going to be killed because I looked in the wrong direction? Because I happened to stand in somebody's way?' Iraqis don't have to do anything to die."
‘Your Entire Family’s Fate in Your Hands’ In Saddam Hussein's Iraq, fear is a daily part of life, and it begins early. Schoolchildren are trained to show love for their leader. The indoctrination begins at a young age, and parents warn their children that even mild expressions of discontent could draw brutal punishment. "We had to carry this responsibility with us since we were young," said Mohammed. "You were a kid, but you were responsible. You know that your entire family's fate lies in your hands." Amer and Maha know firsthand what happens to those who criticize the leadership in Iraq. Their father, who held an official position, wrote two letters criticizing Saddam Hussein. "My father believed in speaking the truth," said Amer. "He believed in telling everyone what the right thing is." Their father was later assassinated on a journey between Jordan and Iraq in 1992. "I lost my father, not because he did anything wrong. Just because he said what was going on in Iraq was a disgrace," said Maha. "And I remember very well asking him, 'Dad, how come he doesn't kill you?' He said, 'I don't know. I might get killed. But I have to speak, because I'm not one of the sheeps.' " Amer said that after their father's assassination, he knew the regime would soon turn its attention to him. "I'm my father's oldest son," he said. "And they have the policy if they kill your father, they either offer you a position in the government, to make you part of the team. And then you will [be] part of them, part of their tyranny. Or they kill you. So instead of facing that decision, I was, I just had to leave." ‘Why Can’t Democracy Work for Us?’ Now bombs are falling on Baghdad again. Watching from half a world away, these young people hope that this time, the outcome of the war will be different. "When I saw that, I felt tears in my eyes," said Amer. "But for the first time, they were the tears of joy. Because every Iraqi has been waiting for that moment for a long, long time. I am almost a quarter of a century old, and I've been waiting for this day. … I was happy. He is going to be gone." Maha thinks Iraqis are ready to overthrow tyranny forever. "I think the moment the Iraqis realize that Saddam is powerless [has come], and they're not going to be let down again," she said. "They will rebel. Definitely. This is the way that they've been waiting for." As to the prospects for establishing a democratic government in Iraq, Amer said: "I think it's condescending of people to say that democracy can't work in Iraq." Amer said Iraqis living in exile will be ready to help build demoracy in the their homeland. "There are about 4 million Iraqis who have lived all over the world in democratic and free societies," he said. "And each and every one of them is prepared at a moment's notice, to drop everything and go back." A Message to Iraqi Youth And what do these young people want others in Iraq like them, or even younger, to know? "I want them to know that we hope that one day Iraq will be liberated, and that one day Saddam will be out," said Ban. "And we support them and we will help them, and we stand by them. " Amer said it's time to speak out against Saddam's regime, no matter what the risk. "I want to tell my relatives, I know this is difficult for them to see it. I know we're putting them in jeopardy, but someone has to speak out," he said. "Maybe I'm in danger, maybe they're in danger. But we're all doing it so that maybe a week from now we will all be free to say whatever we want. " "I want to tell them that all Iraqis outside are praying with them, and our heart's with them," concluded Maha. "And we feel their fear, and hope. And we hope to see them soon, in good health. And we miss them a lot." 
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