'His forehead and brains were missing;' Salon offers graphic account of Blackwater shooting John Byrne

Published: Friday December 14, 2007



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Print This Email This Nestled on the second page of a front page story in Salon Friday is a graphic account of one man's ordeal. In it, he describes how his two sons and wife were killed at the hands of US contractors. The article, "Blackwater in Baghdad: 'It was a horror movie'" by Jennifer Daskal more fully explores what went on the fatal night of Sept. 16 in Baghdad -- darkly at odds with the congressional testimony of the firm's CEO. "Finally, around 5 p.m., [a man who's only identified as Haythem] phoned his brother who worked at the hospital closest to Nissour Square. His brother went to the emergency room, then to the morgue. He learned that all of the bodies there were identified -- except for two that were completely burned with body parts missing. His brother then headed to the square, where he called Haythem to tell him he had found a charred white car with a license plate number written in the sand. The numerals and letters matched the family's plate. "Haythem identified his son from what was left of his shoes. His forehead and brains were missing and his skin completely burned. He identified his wife of 20 years by a dental bridge. "With tears in his eyes, Haythem described his beloved wife and son. "If you perceive marriage as half of your life, Mohasin was my best half," he said. "We were always together. I don't know how to manage my life or care for my other two children without her." Read Daskal's full story here.



