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In Iraq, Sweet Promise Struck Down
An injured boy stands at the site in Baghdad where a suicide car bomber sped into a crowd of children gathered around U.S. soldiers distributing candy last Wednesday. Of the 26 children killed, the oldest was 13.
(By Hadi Mizban -- Associated Press)
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Iraqi children "always surround them, laugh, imitate the way they walk, go like this with them," Khuzai remembered, giving a thumbs-up as he and his family and other mourners gathered in the front room.
"Why?" Khuzai said. "They are using the children as shields."
U.S. military vehicles with loudspeakers broadcast Arabic-language warnings after last Wednesday's killings for civilians to stay away, news reports said. U.S. forces expressed regret at the bombings, which the Americans as well as the Iraqi families of the slain children said showed the barbarity of the attackers. Funeral banners echoed the sentiment.
"It wasn't the fault of the Americans," Hamza's father said later, relenting.
"It's their responsibility," said Wid Hussein. "The Americans brought all this tragedy to us."
"Don't say that -- it's not the Americans who are killing. It's the terrorists," Hamza's father answered.
"It's their responsibility," she shot back. "Why did they come here?"
On Monday, a single boy stood in the glare of the heat in the two blocks around Hamza's house, staring at something in his hand. He didn't look up as strangers passed.
"They didn't see anything of their life," said Hamza's uncle, Safa Khuzai, speaking of the boys who died. "They spent it with wars, no electricity, no water and no security," he added. "They were all the same age, born at the same time, went to the same school, played the same games, and died together at the same time."
"Even their funeral services at the same time," he said. "A whole generation of this neighborhood gone."
"The streets are so quiet now," Hamza's sister said. "So quiet."
Special correspondent Naseer Nouri contributed to this report.
