Investigated the rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the bombardment of the Amiriya Shelter in Baghdad on February 2, 1991. As a consequence of the bombardment, 403 residents of the shelter died and 14 residents survived. The study aimed to determine the rate of PTSD among victims' close relatives and friends, its relation to closeness of relation, sex, and degree of exposure to the event. 300 secondary school students (150 close relatives or friends of the victims) were studied using a specially designed PTSD scale based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R). Half of the students were females. Results show that 37% of the victims had PTSD vs non (among the nonexposed control group). 65% (42) of the students who lost their family members had PTSD and of those who lost their friends, only 19% (16) had PTSD. Among the female group 63% (47) vs only 16% (12) of male group had PTSD. It is concluded that the bombardment of Amiriya Shelter as a disaster precipitated PTSD among the traumatized students and raised the need for intensive and long-term psychiatric aid, social care and follow-up.