Samira was a victim of the bombing of the Amiriyah shelter.
On February 13, 1991, amidst the chaos of the Persian Gulf War, one of the conflict's worst catastrophes was inflicted upon the civilian population of Baghdad. Over 500 civilians living in Amiriyah, a neighborhood within Baghdad, were huddled in the local air-raid shelter (Public Shelter No. 25). The building was populated mainly by women and children; despite later United States military claims, the shelter did not have any ties to the military, and was not being used as command or personnel bunker.
At 4:30am, on the morning of February 13, US stealth fliers dropped two GBU-27 laser-guided bombs on the shelter. The carnage was immediate and terrible. After the first explosion, smoke and flames began to pour out of the shelter, along with the screams of hundreds of people. After the second bomb's explosion, the screaming stopped.
Their deaths were attributed not to the bomb blasts themselves, but by burning to death --- either being incinerated by the heat of the flames, or boiled to death when the shelter's water tanks exploded, drenching the shelter's lower levels. At least 408 people are known to have died in the blast, though precise numbers vary.
The United States government never faced any repercussions for this colossal error, nor were any reparations ever made for the loss of human lives.
Samira was a victim of the bombing of the Amiriyah shelter.
On February 13, 1991, amidst the chaos of the Persian Gulf War, one of the conflict's worst catastrophes was inflicted upon the civilian population of Baghdad. Over 500 civilians living in Amiriyah, a neighborhood within Baghdad, were huddled in the local air-raid shelter (Public Shelter No. 25). The building was populated mainly by women and children; despite later United States military claims, the shelter did not have any ties to the military, and was not being used as command or personnel bunker.
At 4:30am, on the morning of February 13, US stealth fliers dropped two GBU-27 laser-guided bombs on the shelter. The carnage was immediate and terrible. After the first explosion, smoke and flames began to pour out of the shelter, along with the screams of hundreds of people. After the second bomb's explosion, the screaming stopped.
Their deaths were attributed not to the bomb blasts themselves, but by burning to death --- either being incinerated by the heat of the flames, or boiled to death when the shelter's water tanks exploded, drenching the shelter's lower levels. At least 408 people are known to have died in the blast, though precise numbers vary.
The United States government never faced any repercussions for this colossal error, nor were any reparations ever made for the loss of human lives.
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