I just finished watching a documentary that was truly a masterpiece. "Diameter of the Bomb" tells the story of the suicide bombing of bus 32A on June 18, 2002, in Israel. I've viewed several documentaries and films dealing with suicide bombings but this one is by far the best. Interviews with survivors, family members of the victims, the bomber's driver (who is now in prison), the bomber's parents, responders, forensic scientists, and Israeli counter terrorism officials make this a complete analysis of the event. Video footage of the bomber's martyrdom tape are included. It's excellently put together to give the viewer a look at the terror that is suicide bombing that they are sure not to forget.
Something I try to keep is an openness to the concept of terrorism versus freedom fighting. All terrorism analysis students spend time debating the terms with the emotional connotations and political biases attached to each. So far I've done quite well, I think, maintaining a rather even balance. This is especially true when it comes to the issue of the Arab/Israeli conflict. But it's hard to keep any semblance of impartiality when you are viewing scenes of a bombing just minutes after it has occurred; bits of body parts splattered on the street, bodies still sitting in their bus seats minus their limbs, the face of the bomber laying on the pavement like some discarded mask after it was literally ripped from his head (an image I promise you I will never forget). These are the images that are not shown on American television newscasts because they cross the line of decency, quite like the videos of people jumping to their death after the planes hit the Trade Center Towers that were never shown. Do I have an appetite to view such gruesome things? Sometimes; because they are the images that jolt me back into reality and remind me that although I believe analysts should maintain some amount of objectivity I believe too that we Americans are much too squeamish for our own good. I believe this documentary, "Diameter of the Bomb", and others like it should be shown more often to keep us reminded that martyrdom operations are hideous, evil means to try and achieve an end.
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Back in either Sept or Oct (can’t remember exactly) of ’95 a car bomb went off in Riyadh SA. Killed a few marines and heavily damaged my office building. Fortunately I wasn’t in the office at the time. The carnage is indeed a bit tough to stomach, and the stench of burning flesh/blown out guts/fecal matter doesn’t help. We got the wounded out ASAP, and then sealed the area for the forensic guys. A day or so later we cleaned up the mess and removed the body parts for burial/shipping back to the States. I’ve had better experiences, that was my first with Al Quada, it wasn’t my last.
Nor will it be Americas.
Cheers.
Tater,
Was it the November 13th bombing that killed 6 and injured 60? I knew you'd been in S.A. but you never told me this story before. I have a million questions! But mostly, I'm so glad you weren't hurt that day.
I agree that America will have future dealings with al Qaeda. One thing I've often wondered is why America hasn't seen suicide bombings on it's own soil. In fact, I'll use that as a topic for my next blog entry. :)
As to the subject of cleaning up after a bombing, I was amazed to find out that in Israel every single drop of blood is collected to bury. Huge rolls of white paper are taken to the scene where rescue workers use it to blot up the blood off the pavement. If blood has soaked into parts of the bus those parts are taken off and buried, along with the paper and whatever else is blood soaked. I'm reminded that a verse in Leviticus says that one's life is in the blood so I'm assuming that is the reasoning. I've seen footage of Palestinian children collecting bits of human flesh for burial after a bombing also. Grim stuff to think about but I suppose it's all part of the healing process for survivors to know that all of their loved ones are buried.
Julie
Yeah it might have been Nov. It was six months before the Kobar towers bombing. I didn't google the event and was going on memories, but after 12 years that's a getting a little fuzzy! Btw, the 33rd wing here lost 13 troops in the Kobar bombing, if you recall when we drove by the F-15s, we went right by the memorial to them; sits right outside my office here.
I was in SA during the Riyadh and Kobar bombing, was working in the Egyptian embassy when the Kenya and Tanzanian embassies were bombed, and co-piloted a Delta airliner that left JFK on 9/10/01.
Me & al Qaeda go back aways--but they haven't got me yet!
Cheers.
Khobar was in June '96. I did some looking around on the 'net and found that there were all kinds of bombings in Riyadh at that time. I don't remember the memorial on the base :(
There's a movie coming out in September called "The Kingdom" that is about a housing complex in Saudi Arabia being bombed by terrorists and the FBI's efforts to investigate. Not sure if it's meant to be a depiction of the Khobar Tower event, but it sounds like it. I'm anxious to see it.
Hope you get to keep up with the blog now-and-then!
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