(NORTHERN IRAQ) Michael Goldfarb arrived in the Kurdish autonomous region of Northern Iraq 48 hours before the war began. His assignment was to tell the story of war through the eyes of the Iraqi people. "With a stroke of good fortune," as Michael puts it, "I met one of the most compelling characters I have ever encountered in my years reporting for National Public Radio: Ahmad Shawkat, a university biology teacher, novelist, poet, and veteran of Saddam's torture chambers." Ahmad had been living in exile in Erbil, capital of Kurdistan for the previous seven years. The overthrow of Saddam would mean that he could return to his home in Mosul.
Six months after this documentary was recorded, Ahmad was killed in Mosul, Iraq. On October 28, 2003, Ahmed Shawkat was shot by gunmen who followed him to his office. Since the documentary was recorded, Shawkat had worked as editor of an independent paper, "Without Direction." His daughter said that for several weeks, he received threats because of his writings.
Michael Goldfarb and Ahmad spent the duration of the war together reporting on the Northern Front -- in Ahmad's home, on the battlefield, and finally on his return to Mosul.
