Iraq: New restrictions on US Embassy ("No one is to sleep in their trailer")

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

BAGHDAD - The U.S. State Department on Saturday tightened restrictions on embassy staff in Baghdad, ordering all employees to sleep inside reinforced structures and to use only armored vehicles when traveling in the Green Zone due to incoming rocket fire.

Two American citizens have been killed and several wounded by rocket or mortar attacks this week as the heavily fortified area has come under steady fire by suspected Shiite extremists angry over a government crackdown in the southern oil port of Basra.

The announcement came two days after embassy personnel were advised to remain under "hard cover at all times" and required to wear helmets and other protective gear if they ventured outside.

In a memo sent to embassy personnel on Saturday, the State Department reiterated the previous requirements and added that all personnel must limit their time outside "hardened facilities" and travel in the Green Zone only in armored vehicles.

"No one is to sleep or spend long periods of time in their trailer," said the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

When traveling outside, "all personnel must wear (protective gear), have their radios and cell phones with them, and must travel in armored vehicles," it added.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080329/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_embassy

[MercutioATC]

1. The surge is working!!

See how threatened they are?

Move along...nothing to see here...

[aquart]

2. They only hired good Republicans, right?

And when they ran, threatened to fire anyone who refused to go?

Should be some interesting blogs filtering out of there.

[TomInTib]

3. Exactly.

There will be some ex-republicans, pants still smelling like piss, rolling out some serious shit on the internets.

I find this freaking hilarious.

First, they had to pass the Ideology Test then proceed to fail the GutCheck.

Fucking Chickenshits.

[AZCat]

5. I don't think I could take it.

All ideology aside, I don't think I could judge someone who couldn't take this sort of environment for very long. I don't think I could do it, so why should I look poorly on someone else who can't?

[skooooo]

9. If they went over there to make $$$ I find it quite easy...

...to look poorly on them.

[aquart]

14. To be fair...they were never told their guts were in danger.

Quite the opposite, actually. "Piece of cake."

They may even have the aggrieved sense of being personally lied to.

[Heywood J]

4. Hmmm...

SOUTH VIETNAM - The U.S. State Department on Saturday tightened restrictions on embassy staff in Saigon, ordering all employees to sleep inside reinforced structures and to use only armored vehicles when traveling in the compound due to incoming rocket fire.

Two American citizens have been killed and several wounded by rocket or mortar attacks this week as the heavily fortified area has come under steady fire by suspected Viet Cong extremists angry over a government crackdown in the northern city of Da Nang.

The announcement came two days after embassy personnel were advised to remain under "hard cover at all times" and required to wear helmets and other protective gear if they ventured outside.

In a memo sent to embassy personnel on Saturday, the State Department reiterated the previous requirements and added that all personnel must limit their time outside "hardened facilities" and travel only in armored vehicles.

"No one is to sleep or spend long periods of time in their trailer," said the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

When traveling outside, "all personnel must wear (protective gear), have their radios with them, and must travel in armored vehicles," it added.

If it read like this, we'd have declared a loss by now and evacuated.

[Amonester]

6. Deja vu... all over again.

Someone said... idiots have got to know History before not repeating it... or so...

[MADem]

7. Wow, that sucks. No privacy, work a twelve or more hour day, and

then snuggle up in a frigging revetment. Wonder how the a/c is in those 'hardened facilities.' If this shit keeps up, summer can be a bummer.

[Lasher]

8. I wonder if urine is still dripping from the light fixtures.

A bargain at only $1 billion.

[CONN]

10. FEMA trailers ? because the $1.3 billion Embassy is late...

The new embassy has been mired in construction delays, but is expected to be completed in 2008. As of 2006, the embassy employed over 1,000 people...
Under construction since mid-2005, the target completion date was September 2007. "A week after submitting his FY2006 budget to Congress, the President sent Congress an FY2005 emergency supplemental funding request. Included in the supplemental is more than $1.3 billion for the embassy in Iraq..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_the_United_States_in_Baghdad

[stlsaxman]

11. Baghdad or New Orleans... what's the diff?

[mike_c]

12. no worries-- this is just more last throes....

The message between the lines of the memo: "We are so fucked."

[Javaman]

13. hmmm, I wonder if mclame will take another tour of "peaceful" iraq now? nt

[JoFerret]

15. That's a revealing detail

.

[lovuian]

16. time to go shopping in Baghdad

http://youtube.com/watch?v=McfBxZ85v30

Remember when McCain was shopping in Baghdad with a Bullet proof vest
and buying 5 dollar Persian rugs what a deal

and this is our Republican Presidential candidate

this makes me sick

they can't get it through their heads they FAILED