Baghdad, Iraq
Zehira Houfani (writer and journalist),
Member of the Montreal Iraq Solidarity Project

It was around 6 pm, this Sunday July 27th 2003, when the El-Birhana family left their home in their car, driving towards their neighbourhood Church, Al-Mansour, Hay Al-Andalous, right in the middle of Baghdad. The El-Birhana family was comprised of the mother and her two sons, Tamer et Mazen, respectively 35 and 27 years old. Tamer was driving the family vehicle and was proceeding normally towards the end of the alley, when suddently at the point of turning, the car was sprayed with US soldiers gunfire. The entire Birhana family was killed instantly in a terrifying bloodbath. The car that was following immediately behind, with two passengers on board, experienced the same fate at the hand of US soldiers.