Holiday Time in Baghdad

While the American deaths nearly doubled since last year, ( http://seattletimes.nwsource.com ) the drafting of the new constitution the debate continues with the Sunnis; you can book your hotel to visit Iraq and tour the region. The advertisement is marketed to tourist indicating that Iraq is the place to be and visit in spite of the continual bombardment of attacks. ( www.kayak.com ) You can search for flights, hotels and cars!

The Al Mansour Hotel in Baghdad had a high rating of 6 out of 10. One can play tennis, enjoy your leisure time at the health spa and club. You may also relax and enjoy the warm evenings by relaxing near the outdoor pool. They also provide a laundry service, room service, currency exchange and to top it off you can purchase gifts at the gift shop in the lobby and mail them to your friends back home. After a relaxing day near the pool, you can enjoy the evenings chatting with your war friends, journalists and US contract workers at the bar. However, when I attempted to get the hotel price online at Kayak, it failed to provide me with any information. I did find the exact location and the hotels telephone number, just in case I want to vacation in Iraq .

The Palestine Hotel is also listed as their places to consider for your holiday enjoyment. As I recall, the hotel was kindly guarded by the American Army surrounded with tanks and barriers. You only needed to look like a foreigner to enter into the complex. The army presence provided an immense amount of security for those who were concerned about bombings. I stayed in a different hotel, because of the Army presence. Their presence increased my visibility, with my blond hair and blue eyes, I wanted to blend in with the crowd as much as possible.

My hotel was the Al Mansour Hotel, and my cost was 100 American dollars a night. The American menu for dinners accommodated the journalists needs down home cooking and the bar was well stocked for hard to get alcoholic beverages. We had two guards posted at the parking entrance near the front door. One fine evening while chatting at the poolside, my partners and I heard some random gun shots. We were used to the sounds of bullets flying through the air, so we did not really pay any attention and continued with our pleasant conversation. Later that evening, we discovered that one of the guards was shot and killed by a fellow friend, because he would not allow him into the hotel.

This was one of many pleasant stories of my time in Baghdad .

A Letter from Iraq from an Iraqi

While I was reporting from the Middle East, I gathered a large local network. After I left, my friends continued to write to me to tell me their stories. Below is a small email from Sahal in Baghdad:

hithat word mean life is better you see aleasha mean life or our every day life ,ahsan mean better this kind of _expression we say in iraq to tell others that ok life good not great but good.

To understand what Sahal is saying is: the Arabic word “aleasha” is the everyday life, “ahsan” is an Iraqi expression that says, life is ok, not great but good. It is a form of expression.

He later sends me this email:

you can see the letter i send on lack of medicain in iraq ,i know my styell is need alot of work and i have speeling problems but iam working on itiam from baghdad and work out sid it in hosptial in the country thats why i see the real suffering of poor people and i hop to find any one how can help themwhats happen to iraqies donot differ to what katrina victums suffer and i feel pain to both sides suffering no one should face evacuation and hunger or disease or death just becouse he live in plce threaten by war or natural disaster and any person how suffer must geat help and compation and mercy in spit of his couler nationalty or relagion
thank you

SHEIKH GUARANTEES SOUGHT FOR JAIL RELEASES

American military hopes to end the insurgency by turning to Iraqi tribal traditions.   By Abdel Karem al-Hashemy in Baghdad
Taxi driver Satar Majeed Suleiman walked out of Abu Ghraib prison this June, after spending nearly a year behind bars. Like many of his fellow prisoners, Suleiman says he had no involvement in the anti-Coalition insurgency for which he was detained. "I was shooting in the air to frighten thieves, when an American patrol passed by," he said.
As a result, he spent months in a harsh place where, though he was not beaten, he had little protection against the cold of the desert winter and the heat of summer.   US forces do not "arrest anyone without a reason", said Lieutenant Colonel Tim Ryan, US military commander responsible for the area west of Baghdad , which includes Suleiman's home of Bab al-Sheikh.   Ryan agreed to release Suleiman after the taxi driver's local tribal leader, Sheikh Abdul Rida al-Aweili, agreed to vouch for the detainee's good behaviour. Similar assurances are being sought across the region, one of the centres of Iraq 's insurgency.   They have led to the release of elderly men in poor health, tribal elders, and at least two women, whose detention, Aweili said, had been a cause of tension.   "We are sure that some were arrested because of false accusations," the sheikh said.   He also said the assurances were being made to enable tribal leaders to reassert their authority, and to restrain their followers, angry at intrusive raids and what they consider to be unjustifiable detentions.   While not conceding the innocence of those detained, the US military acknowledged that it erred in ignoring the role of the sheikh as mediator between the population and the central authority.   "It was a mistake for us to ignore the tribal customs of the Iraqi culture," said Captain Joseph James, public affairs officer for Ryan's 2-12 Cavalry, in an email to IWPR. Now, the unit has begun to release prisoners if their sheikh will guarantee that they will not participate in attacks.   "Sheiks should submit a list of names for prisoners that they guarantee not to conduct future attacks against Coalition forces," James said.   "If the agreement is breached, Sheiks will be notified and that they should either bring the person to the Coalition or show us his whereabouts.   "In return, the US troops are committed not to arrest any person without notifying the tribal council, not arresting women, not raiding houses and mosques, and to respect Iraqi tradition and customs."   If the attacks cease, James continued, the US military can "move forward" in developing the region, saying that, altogether, some 336 detainees have been released through the policy in the Abu Ghraib region.   "We hold to the agreement [with the American troops] and we must respect it. Any one who breaches it will be held accountable by his tribe leader," said Sheik Hashem Najem al-Hasen al-Mohammadi, head of the region's Iraqi tribes association. Still, many of the released detainees remain angry over their detentions.   "They treat dogs better than us," said Abd al-Wadood Katab, 40, a professor of psychology at the University of Tikrit .   Katab said he was held 14 months in the southern detention centre of Bucca for possessing weapons and inciting violence.   "They used to leave us with no cold water, they shouted and struck us. I haven't done anything to be arrested - all Iraqis possess weapons," he said.   Abdel Karem al-Hashemy is an IWPR trainee.

Wave of Kidnappings in Iraq Continues

27 minutes ago By PAUL GARWOOD, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD , Iraq - Gunmen kidnapped the head of an Iraqi government-owned construction company in Baghdad on Saturday, a brazen daylight attack in a new wave of hostage-taking across the country.
The kidnapping occurred a day after a senior Egyptian diplomat was snatched as he came out of a mosque, and suggested insurgents were growing bolder, particularly since kidnappers scored a stunning victory by forcing the Philippines to withdraw troops to save the life of a Filipino truck driver. Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged Egypt not to bow to the demands of the kidnappers. "It is time for us to close ranks to fight terrorism. There is no way to budge to terrorists and give them what they want," Allawi said during a visit to Syria . "The only way to deal with terrorism is to promote justice and to close ranks, and we hope Egypt and the Egyptian government will act accordingly." In other violence, a U.S. Marine died early Saturday of wounds sustained Friday during clashes in the Al-Anbar province, a volatile area that stretches west from Baghdad to the Syrian border, the military said. The military did not release the identity of the Marine, the 903rd U.S. military fatality in Iraq since the war began according to an Associated Press count. Gunmen in three cars attacked a convoy carrying the chief of police for west Baghdad on Saturday as he passed near the town of Mahmoudiya south of Baghdad . Two bodyguards were killed, but Brig. Sabah Fahad escaped unharmed, said Mahmoudiya hospital director, Dr. Dawoud al-Taie. A rocket exploded in the downtown Jubairya district in the northern city of Samarra , killing one man and injuring three other civilians early Saturday, police Maj. Sadoun al-Dulaimi said. It was unclear who fired the rocket. Saboteurs also set off two explosions on an oil pipeline 12 miles south of Samarra late Friday, police Capt. Khaled Abdul-Amir said. The 125-mile pipeline stretches from al-Doura oil refinery in Baghdad to Beiji, north of Samarra . The extent of the damage was unclear. Associated Press Television News footage showed bright orange flames and a thick black plume of smoke billowing from the ruptured pipeline. Insurgents across the country have waged a violent 15-month campaign of sabotage, bombings, kidnappings and other attacks against local officials and coalition forces. In the latest kidnapping, unidentified men riding in two cars blocked Raad Adnan's vehicle as he was driving through southeastern Baghdad on Saturday and snatched him, said Interior Ministry spokesman Adnan Abdel-Rahman. Adnan is the general director of Al-Mansour Contracting Co., a government-owned company that carries out construction contracts for Iraqi government ministries. Adnan, a construction engineer, was a member of the Baath party and helped build some of Saddam Husseins presidential palaces. On Friday, militants kidnapped Egyptian diplomat Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb as he left a mosque and demanded his country abandon any plans to send security experts to support Iraq 's new government, according to a video broadcast on the Al-Jazeera television station. He was believed to be the first foreign diplomat kidnapped in Iraq . An Egyptian official told the AP on Saturday that his country's mission to Egypt has not yet been contacted by the militants, a previously unknown group called "The Lions of Allah Brigade." "Iraqi authorities have contacted the Egyptian mission and offered help, but as yet there have been no negotiations or mediations with the kidnappers," said Badr el-din de-Souki. The rash of kidnappings, which also included the abduction of seven foreign truck drivers Wednesday, has threatened Iraq 's efforts to rebuild the country and persuade more governments to commit troops to the coalition here. Iraqi interim Public Works Minister Nasreen Berwari denounced the kidnappings as "inhumane and savage" attacks on Iraq 's "stability and well-being." "This problem can only be solved when the international community as a whole supports Iraq to sustain its security for its people and the people who are coming to help Iraq , and they are very much needed at this stage," she told reporters. The militant group holding the seven truck drivers announced new demands in a video broadcast Friday, calling on the hostages' Kuwaiti employer to pay compensation for those killed by U.S. forces in the city of Fallujah and demanding the release of all Iraqi detainees in Kuwaiti and U.S. prisons. The group, calling itself "The Holders of the Black Banners," had originally demanded the company stop doing business in Iraq and that the hostages' countries withdraw their citizens. The group threatened to begin beheading the three Kenyans, three Indians and an Egyptian every 72 hours starting Saturday night. "I'm trying to get in contact government officials to find out it can do. I hope it's doing the best it can," Talal Mohamed, a brother of hostage Jalal Awadh, said in Kenya . The new demands in Friday's tape were almost certain to go unmet, but that tape did not appear to repeat the earlier beheading threat and bore no other specified ultimatum. The militants gave the company a 48-hour deadline, but it was unclear if that meant the initial deadline was extended until Sunday. Rana Abu-Zaineh, an official with the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport, Co., said the company was negotiating with the militants and was confident the hostages would be freed. She did not provide details. In India , External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said the insurgents appear to be motivated by money, not politics, and that the victims may be released soon. Militants in recent months have kidnapped roughly 70 foreigners in their campaign to force countries to withdraw troops and to scare away contractors working on reconstruction projects. At least three hostages have been beheaded. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20040724/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_040724082609&printer=1

Arrogance and idiotness!

Viewpoints: Below a letter from an Iraqi woman and her feeling on the female prisoners, US administration and the Iraqi (unedited) A sample of the arrogance mixed with the childish, useless, baseless propaganda is below in the news. It is evident that the Americans are keeping in prison two respectable Iraqi ladies. USA, has the most amount of all chemical wepons that can kill everyhuman on earth several times. Calling a lady these baseless names, like Mrs. Anthrax, etc, just remind us those stupid names that Americans used against the leaders of the 100,000,000 native Indiands that they killed, which was followed by another million annualy since then, from everywhere around the globe. Another point, this stupid policey in Iraq is messing up everything and causing a lot of disturbance to the Iraqi society, and to selective pockets in the USA. U.S.: Iraqi Prisoners Won't Be Released 23 minutes ago By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq (news - web sites)'s leader and U.S. officials moved quickly Wednesday to squelch the idea a top female germ- warfare scientist for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) would be freed soon, after a senior Iraqi official said the decision had been made to release her. Iraqi militants who beheaded two Americans have threatened to kill a Briton unless female detainees are let go. After the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said there would be no immediate release of either of the two women in U.S. custody, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said there were no immediate plans to free the detainees. Allawi's statement disputed an earlier statement by his Justice Department (news - web sites) that a decision was made to release one of them. Allawi told The Associated Press that his government has begun reviewing the status of its detainees, including the two female scientists known as "Dr. Germ" and "Mrs. Anthrax" for their involvement in Saddam Hussein's biological weapons programs.

More Battles

After the War...?
Accounts from a woman in Baghdad Posted Sept. 3,2004
Last night, with another appartment full of visitors, another 6 or 7 mortars or rockets took off and the sirens went off again. We decided that it was a clever tactic of the Mahdi Army. There are no 'on the ground' fighters in Kerrada, so the military cannot really attack the area. By day Kerrada continues as always - you would never guess that at night the area has been used a a launchpad for attacks on the Green Zone. And the BBC is busy report that 'lawless' Sadr City is where the attacks are being launched from. Popycock!!
The Mahdi Army could never hit the Green Zone from Sadr City and they would not even try - what utter rubbish! And we certainly would not hear the bangs or see plumes of smoke from here - Sadr City is around 10 kilometres away. Each night we have heard much more gun fire and more gun battles with return fire than usual - although it is very difficult to say exactly where it is coming from. Yesterday Ali (with the smile) visited us. We were so happy. We had not seen him for 3 or 4 weeks and we have been so worried about him. We did go looking for him, but to no avail. Tha day after we last saw him, he was due to come back and get some new clothes. He did not come. Instead, he had bumped into some old friends who were living in the House of Mercy Childrens' Home in Al Rashad in Bagdad and he went there with them and stayed there. He has his own room, cupboards and lots of clothes and is being fed well. This we can see for ourselves - he has honestly grown taller and, apart from a nice big black eye he had got from crashing into the goalpost while playing football, he looked wonderful. He now worked collecting scarp aluminium by day and the sheikh at the Chidrens' Home collects and saves the money he earns for him and any other child that works. There seems to be more freedom, trust and responsibility for their own actions given to the children here than in Al Wazerya and it seems to suit our Ali well. He could not stop smiling and he wanted nothing, just to see us - he had been to see us several times before, but we had been out. It was fantastic to see him. We asked him how things were in Al Rashad. Ali told us how the House of Mercy was situated next to a US Army Base in Al Rashad. The Mahdi Army was attacking this base nightly with RPGs, mortars and AK47's. Then the Americans would set off flares which stay in the sky lighting up the area for 5 minutes in order to be able to see the Mahdi Army fighters so that they could counter attack. When the flares die, the Mahdi Army attack again and so it goes on and on. Ali said that all the children in the House of Mercy were terrified and were unable to sleep at all. Howza (Islamic Pressure Group) run this childrens' Home and in order to register to live there, a child must first go to Sadr's (Moqtada's deceased father's) office in Sadr City . Ali had been to the office yesterday for something else and had seen 2 US tanks destroyed and burnt out from fighting with the Mahdi Army the night before. When we heard about the curfew in Sadr City , my translator became very concerned about his friends who live there. Some of them work as guards at the Paelstine/Sheraton complex and we wondered how they would be able to leave and return from work if the area was under curfew. Indeed, many of the guards that protect US/coalition interests in Bagdad , are Shia and live in Sadr City . Would these places end up with no guards? So last night Wejdy rang Ali to check if he and other friends were okay. Yes, thankfully, they were - the fighting has not yet reached their area of Sadr City - the area we visited last Monday. And they had not experienced any trouble leaving Sadr City to get to work. As the boys spoke, there was a bang from Kerrada as a rocket was fired off. A second later, Wejdy could hear commotion and shouting from Ali's end of the phone. The checkpoints at the Palestine/Sheraton had come under attack - the rocket we had heard leave had hit the first checkpoint on Abu Newas Street which protects the rear of the Bagdad Hotel - casualties so far unknown. We are very concerned about the safety and well-being of our friends during this trying time. Although they work as guards for the coaltion, they fully support Moqtada Al Sadr and the Mahdi Army.

Fruits and Vegetables on the rise in Iraq

After the War...? Fruits and Vegetables prices rise in Iraq
Accounts from a woman in Baghdad Posted Sept. 3,2004
And we are also concerned about the reports of Iraqi Police and ICDC ( Iraq Civil Defence Corps) being used in the front line against the Resistance in Nagaf, Sadr City and other places. Is this America trying to create tension, strife and civil war - not between Sunni and Shia (that didn't work), but between the Resistance and government/coalition employees? Today we bought some fruit and vegetables, and in yet another example of how the ordinary Iraqi suffers, we found that the recent upsurge in Resistance has caused prices to rise.
Tomatoes, eggplants, onions, grapes and water melons had all gone up in price (and that's just what we checked). Tomatoes and water melons had almost doubled in price from 10 p a kilo to nearly 20 p a kilo. This is because 'Jamila', the main wholesaler for all the food in Bagdad , situated in Sadr City , has had to shut down due to the fighting. The shopkeepers are now having to travel out of Bagdad to Mahmoudya or Yusefia for example (30 and 40 kilometres away respectively) to obtain their wares. The travel and time costs are then passed onto the customer, just as the taxi drivers have to charge more when they end up sitting in a petrol queue for one day a week instead of earning money working. Where will all this end, I don't know? But I feel certain that if America pulled out and went home, the situation would be sure to improve. A Muslim peacekeeping force may work here, but NOT if it works under or with the Americans. If they do this they will become America 's canon fodder - just as the Iraqi men in the Iraqi Police and ICDC are now.

Hostages and beheading Susan Brannon July 22
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 21 -" Insurgents said Wednesday that they had kidnapped six more foreign hostages and threatened to behead one every 72 hours unless their employer shut down operations in Iraq." Reports The New York Times by Ian Fisher.
This is a new kind of war we have here Kidnappings, beheading, target bombing by suicide. Reporters are risking their lives by going into the area to report to you what is going on over there. I won't go. I've been there, but I won't go now. There is good money to be made for Amerian businessmen in Iraq, developing a country and its infastructure is costly but profitable. Is it really worth ones life? Every foreign worker that I met in Baghdad was earning in the three digit bracket. Good income for a years work. Ian further reports, " Foreigners working for companies employed by the American military have been a frequent target among the dozens of kidnappings in Iraq since April, when violence in Iraq spiked to its highest level." "We have warned all the countries, companies, businessmen and truck drivers that those who deal with American cowboy occupiers will be targeted by the fires of the mujahedeen," The Associated Press reported. Funny I have a photograph of an Iraqi holding a tabloid cover of Bush, referring to him as a cowboy. This photo was taken in October of last year. Thus the Americans are now labeled as "cowboys". The Iraqis, are happy to be free from the dictatorship under Sadam, but they want to earn their own money and build their own country. At least that is what most of the population told me. Now, the civil war has begun, as predicted. Different fractions are now wanting to be in charge, to rule and create thier own Iraq. Boy have we started a mess. "Here you are once again transporting, goods, weapons and military equipment that backs the United States Army." now the other countries are involved, their soldiers and lives. What is the cost? more on cost..later.... reference article: (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/international/middleeast/22iraq.html?)