On this day, 13 February 1991 during the Gulf war the US air force dropped two laser-guided bombs onto the Al-Amariyah civilian bomb shelter, killing 408 local residents who had been seeking shelter from the bombing. One eyewitness, Na’eem Jeenah, recalled that the “explosions were so powerful and hot that we saw foot and hand prints seared onto the walls and ceilings.”
“The explosions had also destroyed two huge water tanks in the basement. Those who slept in the basement – doctors and others who provided services for the residents – were boiled in the two metres of water that invaded their refuges. Bits of their skin and hair still cling to the walls below the water line as a testimony to the horror that took place here.”
Only 14 people survived the devastation.
After the bombing, many Baghdad residents decided to stop visiting bomb shelters, and instead remain in their homes during bombing raids. The US falsely claimed that the shelter was a military command centre. One military official claimed: “this was a legitimate military target, it was hit precisely, it was destroyed and put out of business – and there was very little collateral damage”.
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