Amiriyah Shelter Bombing 30th Anniversary
Thirty years ago, on February 13th 1991, a bomb shelter in the Baghdad neighborhood of Amiriyah was hit by two laser-guided missiles or “smart bombs” fired from U.S. fighter jets taking part in Desert Storm. The bombing killed at least 408 Iraqi civilians who were sheltering inside. The Amiriyah shelter was constructed during Iraq’s eight-year war with Iran which began in 1981. Both sides in the Iran-Iraq conflict would drop bombs at random on each other’s capital cities with no regard for civilian casualties. The shelter was made from reinforced concrete and was three meters thick. I took these photos when I returned to Iraq, shortly after the U.S. led bombing campaign was over.
