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X DAY OF WAR AGAINST IRAQ.
Today Saturday 29th March 2003 is the tenth day of the war against Iraqi regime. It was early in the morning at around 1.50 approximately. There was such a powerful sound over our building that it looked something is falling from the sky as doors and windows of our Flat started vibrating. Immediately I got the news that a low lying Silkworm anti-ship surface-to-surface missile was fired by Iraq at the magnificent Shopping Centre near Seif Palace killing nobody but injuring one or two persons. This Centre is not exactly in Kuwait City but outskirts of Kuwait City located on the seaside about 3 kilometers from Kuwait City Church, next to the Fish Market. This Silkworm Missile�s capability is to hit an object up to 25 metres in height. This missile is used for surface to surface hit mainly for any object such as ship floating in the Sea. Being a low flying missile, the powerful anti-missile Patriot Battery failed to detect and intercept it. Even the normal sound of Sirens failed to alert the residents. But at about 6.30 p.m. the Sirens sounded for few minutes and soon gave a clear signal. Very many members of Goan community soon after this blast started exchanging phone calls to enquire about everyone�s wellbeing thus showing their concern for their community members. It is a nice sign of brotherhood. Otherwise, things are cool today in whole of Kuwait and no untoward incident took place. Members of Goan community seen everywhere as usual during the day time.
Kuwait is not on war with Iraq officially though due to its contractual obligations with USA & Britain Kuwait has to accommodate the coalition forces. These forces are not stationed in Kuwait only; this war against Iraq is fought even from Air, Sea and several Arab and non Arab countries. This coalition forces are derived from over 40 countries which becomes much bigger than the one formed during the Gulf War in 1991 to liberate Kuwait from Iraq. Since the beginning of the war 10 days back until now, the Iraqi regime has launched about 12 Missiles on Kuwait but due to the strong capability of Patriot Missile Batteries no damage was inflicted on Kuwait. The Iraqi regime is howling abuses on Kuwait for sheltering Western forces on its soil. But as a matter of fact it was Iraqi regime under the leadership of Saddam Hussein that forced Kuwait to invite Western and foreign forces to protect itself from Iraqi aggression. Western forces in this region are not come to invade Iraq and colonise it. The coalition forces will surely liberate innocent Iraqi people from the clutches of Saddam regime but will never annex Iraq the way Goa was annexed by Bharat. Coalition forces will definitely overpower the ruling junta of Iraq by destroying the might of Republican Guards and hand over the reins of Iraq into the hands of Iraqis only the way Bharat did in Bangladesh.
Some people these days sing Hosannas of Iraqi Army especially the Republican Guards. But as a matter of fact, with the mediocre might of Republican Guards Iraq has no mighty military capability otherwise Iraq would have come out victorious against Iran in eighties and defeat coalition forces in 1991. During the last Gulf War in 1991 some of the experts in India on Indian TV � Doordharshan � used to inflate the value of Iraqi Army. But as I saw them in Kuwait during the invasion period, Iraqi Army is strong only numerically but its potentiality is poor. I saw with my own eyes how aged and kiddy young boys were forced to be a part of Army and join the invading troops in Kuwait. Some of these young boys and elderly grandfathers were seen crying near the Kuwait City Church for not being able to cope up with the military robes; they did not even have proper military gear to safeguard themselves. Even the Wireless Sets they carried were of Second World War. Some of the young boys were so young that they could not even carry on their shoulders the heavy guns. This is the quality of Iraqi Army. How can such an Army overpower the tremendous supremacy of coalition forces? On top of it the last Gulf War Saddam Hussein named it as Mother of All Battles but unfortunately for Saddam that War finally became the Father of All Defeats.
Since the start of this war lot of Goan community members are talking of their resentments over the negligence of their tension and plight in Kuwait by their friends and beneficiaries in Goa. Who are the beneficiaries of many of the Kuwait Goans? Yes they are those who received donations to construct schools, chapels, churches, soccer grounds, church halls and etc. They are those who received lakhs of rupees for the construction of Hospitals. They are those who received lakhs and lakhs of rupees for the Konkani cause, for Konkani movement, for the starting of Konkani Daily Newspapers, for the promotion of Konkani Magazines and for the promotion of Mando Festivals. They are those who were treated like Lords in Kuwait when they visited Kuwait especially the politicians. They are those tiatrists who were given preferential treatment during their short duration in Kuwait. When overwhelming majority of the beneficiaries of our largesse soon after the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 showed their real character of �Judas� including the priests, many of the Goans who came to Kuwait after the liberation refused to believe this fact. But these same Goans are now confessing their fault of refusing to admit the truth because they also have now witnessed the truth. It is good that Goans in Kuwait are realizing who is their brother and who is traitor. When I laugh the entire world laughs with me but when I cry I cry alone. This is the real tragedy of our life besides the war fewer. May God protect Kuwait and May God save us from all evils, Amen.
A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait.
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