The Tigris, ancient Mesopotamia’s lifeline, flows through Baghdad. In March 2003, U.S. airstrikes pounded the city. Journalist Watai Takeharu saw Saddam's statue fall. The next day, in a hospital, he met 31-year-old Ali Saqban. His home was destroyed; in his arms lay his 5-year-old daughter Shahad, her body covered in blood.