February 2011. This is a true story; Many suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in Iraq are committed by people who are not from Iraq. These are the “Foreign Fighters” you might have heard about. When these people are caught, the Iraqi Government typically exacts very harsh penalties. A 50 year prison sentence is not unusual. A number of recently convicted and imprisoned terrorists plotted an escape. The plan consisted of smuggling in ...
February 2011. The Baghdad Embassy Security Force is staffed with mostly Ugandans and Peruvians. They live in a sprawling man camp adjacent to the compound complete with a gym, dining facility, and medical unit. These guards man the gates and guard towers, inspect vehicles, and continually patrol the compound 24 hours a day in the heat, sun, rain, or cold while wearing several pounds of body armor in addition to their weapon and extra ammunition. These men are very professional, very ...
February 2011. Another true story; A group of Foreign Fighters entered an Iraqi village some time ago with the intention of aggressively occupying the town and enforcing power by threatening and intimidating the local population while engaging in terrorist activities. During this period one of the fighters pursued a thirteen year old village girl so before she became a rape victim, her parents offered her to the fighter as a bride. The young ...
April 2011. Went for a run on a beautiful Baghdad evening yesterday. The sun was setting, the weather was good, and the air was a little less toxic than usual. It was a perfect day until the "incoming" alarm sounded as I was turning a corner. When these alarms sound, we are told to run for the nearest bunker or "hard" building so I ran for the nearest hard building. Two office workers made it to the locked entry door before I did and were frantically trying to punch in the correct ...
Life expectancy is only 44 years for both men and women. Our Afghan Project Engineer is 32 years old but he looks older. His face is worn with worry and when I ask him about his life sometimes his hands tremble and his voice shakes. Every morning he commutes to the job site knowing a suicide bomber or IED may change his life forever. Just two days ago a suicide bomber detonated himself in the same place he had just left a few minutes before. This is a daily preoccupation. This is a way of life for ...
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