Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali, Special to Arab News

MUSCAT, 28 January 2004 — The fog that was created by biased media campaigns, distortion and optimistic statements has finally lifted, and the American people have woken up to the reality in Iraq and the miserable plight of their soldiers there. They have now realized that their forces in Iraq and their allies are working against heavy odds — facing insurmountable difficulties every moment of their stay there. This has shocked them beyond limits.

There is extreme frustration that has already driven some of the soldiers to commit suicide; many suffer from depression and other psychological problems.

Reports coming out of Iraq tell us some uninspiring tales about the US forces. Suicide cases among American soldiers are on the increase and psychological illnesses are spreading at an alarming rate. The suicide rate is frighteningly high: 34 cases for every 100,000 American soldiers. Besides, as many as 478 soldiers have so far been sent back home for psychological treatment.

The American administration has tried in vain to contain the spread of demoralization. It has sent many psychiatrists to Iraq but the doctors have had little success in addressing the soldiers’ problems. The only way out was to send the mentally sick soldiers back home — which is what is going on now.

The American soldiers in Iraq are a confused lot. “Why am I here?” “Will I return home and to my family safe?” “Is this operation legitimate?” — they are dogged by these and many other questions to which they have no answers and to which they receive no answers from any quarters.

The soldiers, in fact, are comparing the current situation with the rosy picture given at the start of the war. We all know President George W. Bush told them that the whole operation would take less than three months. He gave the impression that the operation would be as simple and enjoyable as embarking on a tourist trip. But the ground realities have turned out to be quite different; rosy dreams have vanished. And the US soldiers have found themselves in a trap from which there is little or no hope of escape. It is quite understandable why they are down, depressed and demoralized. The soldiers know that an end to their plight is not in sight and the future looks bleak.

All these factors are strong enough to create an adverse impact on soldiers who thought they would finish off the Iraq operation in a jiffy and return to the warmth of their home and family in no time. This is why more and more of them fall victim to psychological illnesses.

This reality has now dawned upon the American people who have woken up from their sleep and liberated themselves from the Zionist shackles and lies spread through a biased media. The Americans now prefer to watch the events on channels from Europe and Latin America which show them what is happening in Iraq as it is. So they are taking to the streets, demanding that the troops be withdrawn. All this has put tremendous pressure on the Bush White House.

— Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali is the editor in chief of the Times of Oman.