Once Upon a Time in Iraq

War (1x1)

Air date: Jul 13, 2020

As war began, many Iraqis were hopeful. Ahmed Al Bashir, now a renowned comedian, remembers practising his English with US troops before the realities of occupation became clear. Waleed Neysif was 18 when George Bush gave Saddam Hussein just 48 hours to leave Iraq. He was, like many Iraqi teenagers at that time, infatuated by the West. But while many of his generation grew up enjoying songs by the Backstreet Boys, Waleed formed Iraq's first heavy metal band.