Bush is sending videotapes of a huge bomb tested today in Florida for
viewing on Iraqi TV.
MOAB, privately known in military circles as “the mother of all bombs,” has
been under development since late last year. The bomb carries 18,000 pounds
of tritonal explosives, which have an indefinite shelf life. It replaces the
Vietnam-era “Daisy Cutter,” a 15,000-pound bomb with 12,600 pounds of the
less-powerful GSX explosives.
As originally conceived, the MOAB was to be used against large formations of
troops and equipment or hardened above-ground bunkers. The target set has
also been expanded to include deeply buried targets.
But military officials tell CNN that the MOAB is mainly conceived as a
weapon employed for “psychological operations.” Military officials say they
hope the MOAB will create such a huge blast that it will rattle Iraq troops
and pressure them into surrendering or not even fighting. Officials suggest
perhaps the Iraqis might even mistake a MOAB blast for a nuclear detonation.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/03/11/sprj.irq.moab/index.html
Lubna Saad, age 17
Monday, March 3, 2003
Lubna Saad. Photo by Ramzi Kysia.
I am Lubna Saad. I am seventeen years old. I am student in Al-Aadamya
Secondary School for girls. I live near the school and I love watching TV,
and specially the movies. I hope I will be a lawyer in the future and to
travel to America and I want to told you something - when I get out my house
in the night I saw the moon and I believe that all the people in the world
would see it even in different times. So I wish that we all live in peace
and visit each other. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 4, 2003
At first I would like to introduce myself and my simple family. My name is
Lubna. I’ve one brother named Bashar and two sisters named Dina and Farah. I
live with my parents in Baghdad. This is Tuesday I woke up on 10:20 morning
and I have my breakfast at 11:00 o’clock. After that I began to do my
homework. I studied Economics, Sociology and I suppose to studied computer
because I have an examination in the computer lesson tomorrow. So I took a
long time to do my homework. Through that I was went to my mother to help
her in housework. She can’t do all of it alone as you know.
After that I have my lunch at 2:00 o’clock noon and I watched T.V. from time
to time while I was eating it. I sat with my father an my mother and Bashar,
Dina and Farah for an hour. We usually do that every day in different time.
We talk about everything like what we do in school, what we need, and other
things. At 5:05 o’clock afternoon I took my shower and at exactly 6:00 o’
clock night I finished my homework.
My aunt call me and she told me that my aunt in Germany sent to my family
and to me some things, so I was very happy to hear that my father bring it
to us. It was shirts to me and to my sisters, coat to my brother. We wrote
letters to her to thanks her about these stuffs.
My brother is not so good in school. My mother always push him to study, but
he don’t listening to her. I am good in school well rather my sister is good
in school too.
Today is a holiday of 1324, it is new year A.H. [the Islamic New Year],
therefore my father doesn’t went out to work. He is a taxi driver in spite
of our car isn’t a taxi, but work on it. At 10:00 o’clock I saw a T.V.
program and I wait for the movie, but the actors of the film is not my favor
stars. So I went to my bed and I wrote this diary. It is a simple life. It
is like any other girl’s life. I don’t care of the news about the war and
all of it because if I care I will not made my wishes till my death.
Diary of an Iraqi girl