More Baghdad Embassy follies:
Due to all the indirect fire the Greeen Zone is being bombarded with on a daily basis, all embassy employees are now required to wear their personal protective equipment (PPE) pretty much where ever they go, including the Blue Star restaurant.
A secret State Department memo uncovered by McClatchy papers, states:
"As a result of the recent increase of indirect fire attacks on the International Zone, outdoor movement is restricted to a minimum. Remain within a hardened structure to the maximum extent possible and strictly avoid congregating outdoors. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandatory until further notice. . . Public places that are not in a hardened structure - such as the Blue Star Restaurant - should be frequented only in conjunction with the use of your PPE."
According to the article "An embassy spokesman on Saturday initially denied that State now requires workers to wear body armor in the Green Zone. He got upset when shown the memo."
Classic!
But, it's good to know the thousand or so Americans living in the "heavily fortified" Green Zone are mainly protected by hardened structures like all the rest of our coalition partners .
Wait, they're not?
"About 55 United Nations personnel living in the Green Zone sleep in hardened housing, State Department personnel sleep unprotected."
Hmmm . . . . I wonder if that has anything to do with Ambassador Crocker's problems finding enough people to staff the embassy?
A secret State Department memo uncovered by McClatchy papers, states:
"As a result of the recent increase of indirect fire attacks on the International Zone, outdoor movement is restricted to a minimum. Remain within a hardened structure to the maximum extent possible and strictly avoid congregating outdoors. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandatory until further notice. . . Public places that are not in a hardened structure - such as the Blue Star Restaurant - should be frequented only in conjunction with the use of your PPE."
According to the article "An embassy spokesman on Saturday initially denied that State now requires workers to wear body armor in the Green Zone. He got upset when shown the memo."
Classic!
But, it's good to know the thousand or so Americans living in the "heavily fortified" Green Zone are mainly protected by hardened structures like all the rest of our coalition partners .
Wait, they're not?
"About 55 United Nations personnel living in the Green Zone sleep in hardened housing, State Department personnel sleep unprotected."
Hmmm . . . . I wonder if that has anything to do with Ambassador Crocker's problems finding enough people to staff the embassy?
posted by William Duane at 1:56 PM
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