Lost in Hafar Al-Batin (novel) by Abdul Karim Al-Obaidi

Author: Abdulkarim Al-Obaidi Publisher: Dar Qanadil The novel is a well-constructed narrative, and although it is short, not exceeding 151 pages of medium size, it is rich with events and detailed descriptions of the war on Kuwait, and about the Iraqi army's condition and the captivity situations in American camps and among the Saudis. The storytelling is realistic, derived from experiencing all those details in real life, and it is closer to an autobiography. Lost in the desert of war and in the brokenness of the self... The novel is a literary record of what happened to Iraqi soldiers during the war on Kuwait, after Iraq was a drained country emerging from an eight-year war with Iran. The people, young and old, were exhausted and breathing a sigh of relief after the war ended. However, the ruling regime did not give the people a chance to rest from the suffering of war until it launched the invasion of Kuwait. The young men who had been discharged from the army were called back again. The hero observes how the Iraqi army at that time was managed by corrupt tyrants who monopolized food, drinks, and all signs of entertainment for themselves, leaving the soldiers in extreme poverty, deprived of basic rights such as proper meals, clothing, and water. They were crammed into cold, poor shelters until their bodies stuck together, and they were sent to combat sites without being provided with the simplest necessities for any human being, such as food, drink, and clothing.