We still have running water though Baghdad is without electricity/refrigeration/pumped water in some areas. Bombing is loud and shattering with explosions closer and almost continuous. Jets fly low and create deliberate frightening, deafening roars which must create horrible nightmares in little children. Many can't sleep though, if you know me you know, that is one skill that I brought with me. The air is dusty and smoky because Iraq has petrol fires burning black smoke around the city's perimeter to cloud the sky and, if you know nervous foreigners you know this, everyone smokes! Telephone communication, even for "911" calls, are impossible. Bush sure is "tightening the noose" as they say in the old Westerns. How appropriate!

All the terrible atrocities that we anticipated are occurring here in Baghdad. Cowboy pilots are toying with lives and livelihoods, bombing buses and farmer families. Last night, in pursuit of the CEO here, they dropped several bunker busters into a neighborhood where their intelligence believed a power meeting was taking place. I'm told the crater is 50 meters in diameter. There must be hundreds of killed and maimed children - they know that this city is teaming with kids! You know that the Russian ambassador's convoy was attacked and 7-8 were injured. We at- tempted delivery of our document on suspected war crimes by the US led coalition but arrived at the Russian Embassy less than one hour after he had left for the border. Maybe he will take our material out to Putin.

There is a front not far from here, perhaps a half mile, and the US is blaming an errant missile responsible for taking out a Reuters office near the top of our neighbor hotel, the Palestine. At least one journalist was killed and six or seven wounded there. The main hospitals have been converted to accommodate wounded soldiers and they are swamped. Witnesses for civilian casualties are not as welcome as before due to security at the hospitals. We are unable to stray far from this hotel and we don't have casualty figures now but the carnage is overwhelming, as anticipated. There are probably sufficient doctors since Baghdad has many residents and physician specialty hospitals; many Arabic speaking and overseas Iraqi MD's have arrived to help. I know that medicines and supplies were short to begin with when Baghdad was just dealing with civilian targets of bombings. Now they must be desperately trying to operate without sufficient narcotics, anesthetics or antibiotics. I can't imagine what that kind of hopelessness, helplessness must be like in the face of so much suffering!

Doctors without Borders were excused by the authorities and two are missing after their office was cleaned out of supplies along with the Islamic Relief Fund and I'm wondering about possible CIA meddling. Journalists have been disappeared also; four NGO workers are missing. People need to be very careful to not arouse suspicion here and I'm sure that some foreigners that I meet may be intelligence plants. There are many foreigners including Human Shields that the Government needs to worry about for good reason since intelligence plants are likely. The Government has shown interest in ensuring foreigners' safety and the "minder" assigned to Voices has been very generous and outspoken in his advocacy for our independence and peace activism. Human shields have been withdrawn to safety when the fighting gets close. Please try to learn of the Newsday journalist who was imprisoned for a week here in Baghdad for his story. He did arrive in Amman safely and said that he was interrogated but not mistreated. Is that true?

Mostly we get our information from TV's working off the part-time generator for the hotel, BBC reports over the battery powered shortwave radios that some of us have, and journalists and camerapersons with whom we dine. What a lot of rubbish coming out of Washington! We watch the lies increase depending on pending votes about defense spending or need to drum up support in the face of military disappointments. The Iraqis are quite a spirit to challenge and I'm so sorry that we couldn't prevent this. Our soldiers are so naive and insensitive; they know nothing of the specialness of this society that they are decimating. We got word that they dump pornography in their wake and we see the result of their play with sophisticated, violent toys. I know that they see nothing little of what they've done. America will need to cope with their regrets and guilt later.

We will try to leave shortly by car soon; we're waiting for a window of opportunity and relative safety in numbers, hopefully. VITW core members don't plan to stay through an occupation when the US installs it's puppet regime since efforts will be more effective in our home countries. I would choose to stay if I had more experience with the various political complexities, Mid East travel, currency and Arabic language. What a wonderful culture and people, I'm continually impressed. When there is a brief lull in the bombing, shaking windows and quaking buildings, I forget and wish you were all here to see for yourselves.

I know you must all be going crazy with these events and I know how hard you have all been working for peace. I'm so sorry with you and I wish that I could send good news. Someone said (Bernard Lown?) that we are hearing the requiem of international law. I still trust the common soul of the world community. The global spirit will rise up.

I will try to stay safe as possible and see you soon, I hope.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Love and peace through war,

April Hurley, MD Iraq Peace Team

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