In the past few days, terrorism is rising again all over Iraq. Many people have died in many incidents starting from the Karrada explosions on Friday until this very moment. And when someone believes it is appropriate to kill 68 people in a public market, it just shows you how in-human and sick this person is.

The explosion in Mansour that killed 5 US soldiers in the middle of a public market is just as terrorizing. My wife and 18 months daughter were only 15 meters away. I called her earlier that morning before the explosion to check on her and the baby. I told her that I had a bad dream about them and I just wanted to check and see if everything is fine. Few hours later, she called me and told me what happened. They were around the place of the explosion only a couple of minutes earlier, and when they saw the Americans around, they decided to walk away because the existence of any armed men around means trouble, eventually. They crossed the road and entered a shoe shop. Few seconds later, the explosion happened. Everyone was panicked and the US soldiers started to shoot. "We did not know where they were shooting at", she said. She held my daughter and pushed herself between the shelves of the shoes to avoid being shot. Everyone started running away. And the Iraqi army guys came from a nearby checkpoint and started shooting in the air. They wanted to push people away because they were afraid that there might be a second explosion as the Karrada incident two days earlier. My wife, daughter and sister-in-law kept hiding in the shoe shop. Few minutes later, the Iraqi army guys were telling all the shop owners to close down and walk away from the area. And the whole area was blocked. They had to walk a long long way back home. But thank God they did not get hurt.

This bounce back of terrorism whether in Baghdad, Baquba, Basra, Sulaimanya or Kut today, shows only how long this battle of wills is going to be. Yes. It is a battle of wills. Its Iraqis vs. terrorists. Its going to be long, painful, and hateful. But it is a battle that All Iraqis have to fight, because no one is going to fight it for them. It is our will to have a decent life, and its our duty to fulfill it. Not the Americans, nor anyone else is going to fight that battle for us. They know only how to start wars, but they know very little about how to end them.