From the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs (April 10, 2004)
Canadians should not travel to Iraq. Canadians in Iraq should leave. Those who choose to remain despite this warning should maintain a high level of vigilance, monitor local developments and news broadcasts, and review their security arrangements carefully.
The security situation is dangerous and unpredictable. The threat to foreigners, including Canadians, is high. Attacks resulting in numerous fatalities are frequent in Baghdad and elsewhere against U.S. and other coalition forces, personnel of the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), foreign embassies, and non-governmental organizations, as well as both Iraqi and foreign police and civilians.
In addition, there is a high frequency of smaller-scale attacks, undertaken in particular with convoy ambushes, small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). There have been RPG attacks on a number of Baghdad hotels where foreigners may be staying. A sharp increase in the number and sophistication of attacks involving IEDs, most targeting U.S. military convoys, civilian convoys, and Iraqi police stations, has occurred throughout Iraq since the end of major combat operations. IEDs are camouflaged bombs that are placed on main roads and detonated by remote control, often followed by an ambush on disabled vehicles and their passengers. A Canadian citizen was recently killed in such an attack. The possibility of further attacks puts Canadians at risk, both in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. There have also been several kidnappings of foreigners in recent months.
Heightened tensions resulting from the situation in Iraq, together with increased threats globally from terrorism, indicate that Canadians should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times and should limit their travel both inside and outside of Baghdad. They should be alert to the risk of planned and random killings, as well as kidnappings. Travel by road is dangerous, in particular in Ramadi and Fallujah. While attacks are common during the day, travel at night is especially dangerous. Exercise extreme caution, particularly in commercial and public areas frequented by foreigners. Canadians should monitor local developments, avoid crowds and demonstrations, as well as register and remain in regular contact with the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan (see below), or the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (call collect 613-996-8885). There is no Canadian Embassy in Iraq at this time.
I have been asked about the possibility of taking a full time position in either Kuwait or Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Heather and I have discussed this and while we do not need to make a decision right now, we are seriously considering it. Here are some maps of the area for anyone who is wondering where the heck all those odd, foreign-sounding places are located. I have not got any more details and discussions are preliminary, so it may be months and months before we come to some sort of agreement. Still, it is nice to be wanted and there are never guarantees in the wonderful, wacky world of contract work. So, maybe, if things fall into place...
The park across from the Ashti Hotel, where I am staying, has undergone a magical transformation over the past few weeks. When I first arrived, it was unkempt, dirty and grungy. There were no leaves on the few trees and it looked like a place for young thugs to hang out and drink beer. After a while, it became apparent that even local thugs spurned the place, so I stopped going there too. OK, that's a joke. But seriously, from my hotel room, the place changed by the day. Crowds of laborers landscaped and soon it became presentable. And they even put up a kiddies play structure. It's nice to see some positive moves made in a land where there are so many negative things going on.
I am really on the home stretch now. Less than a week to go and I will be traversing northern Iraq in one of our Pathfinders, bound for Dyerbaker, Turkey. I will have in hand, my itinerary home, ALL my luggage, my contract extension and I will probably be wearing Mr. Yi's gift to me - my wonderful flak jacket. I say probably, because it has become very hot here in the past few days. The temperature has hovered around 28-30 during the day and it has certainly been uncomfortably warm in the Hotel Ashti for the last few nights. The trip back will be via, what they call, the "back roads". This is to avoid towns like Mosel where it might be too dangerous for blue-eyed guys in a 4X4 to be seen. The back roads go through very Kurdish areas and many checkpoints designed to keep troublemakers out. We have sent quite a few people home that way with no problems, recently. So I have high hopes for a safe trip and another few photo opportunities.
I am spending a lot of time training my one staff member - Mme Shadia, who is eager to step in and fill the void when I leave. I have another position on my org chart, but our HR department has been too busy to set up an interview, so the position will be left unfilled until I return. Overall, I am happy with most of the progress we are making, but there are a few gaps that need to be filled. Our new CEO seems to have the will to push forward with a number of issues that have not been priorities. Our old CEO is leaving for a new post shortly after I depart, so I am trying to round up a bottle of Blue Label as a going away present. Hey, what the heck. I can brown-nose with the best of them. Well I can be second best.
Finally, my beloved wife had my trip through Iraq mentioned in our church bulletin. I thought that was very nice. One never knows when one might need the thoughts and prayers of others. I think I am destined to get home next week, but I'll never turn down any sort of good karma. I'll likely have one last page dedicated to the journey back and then close the chapter on this part of the contract.
See you soon,
Steve