Baghdad, Iraq: In February of 1991, United States fighter jets fired missiles at a target outside of Baghdad, during a strategic exercise in the Gulf War. The target, a bomb shelter, was occupied entirely by civilians, and exploded and caught on fire, trapping over one thousand women, children and elderly Iraqis inside. Rescuers were unable to reach the victims because of the reinforcements of the shelters design. In the years after the war, the shelter was opened to the public and guided tours were led by some of the survivors of the incident. The gaping hole ripped in the ceiling by the descending missile remains intact, and skin, hair and hand prints are visible on almost every surface of the shelter. Photographs of the victims have been mounted on the walls. With the current state of affairs in Iraq, the present condition of the site is unknown.
