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"Kuwait
Series" - by Gaylan King
Contents:
Iraq 17 New year - January 07 2004 - I hope everyone’s Holiday Season was complete and renewing, and that all is well with you and yours. I’ve survived the Holiday Season, literally, and have been enjoying a few days idle time in Kuwait, where I still keep an apartment, before I return to Iraq. I’ve had a cold and didn’t go back to Iraq over the New Year’s holiday as planned. Had I been there, I’d have been in the restaurant, Nabil’s, that was bombed on New Years Eve. I know that as surely as I am sitting here writing this piece. That wonderful restaurant was our main eating and meeting place away from the Palestine Hotel, our usual home in Baghdad until permanent quarters are ready for us. I know the owner, Nabil, and all of the wait staff and have yet to find out exactly who was lost. Nabil’s was not a Western hideout as the press intimated; I don’t ever recall seeing another Western there outside of our party. Nabil’s had been open since the ‘30s and was an example of the ambiance of Baghdad before Saddam’s thuggery became the norm for that great city. The fact that the terrorists are targeting other Iraqis through such soft targets will prove to be a fatal mistake for their insurgency. All Iraqis don’t love the U.S. but it is a very tiny minority that approves of such pure terror tactics. Since Saddam’s capture, and he’s still singing like a choir, an interesting thing has happened. Not only has the U.S. Army rolled up a large number of key terrorists, but also other good things are happening. The Iraqi people are notifying the Coalition Forces of people, places and things - instead of looking the other way as the terrorists move about through their neighborhoods. Don't be fooled by 30 young men on TV telling the world that they'll die for Saddam; we'll oblige them in that. But, everyone finally knows that Saddam is done, that the days of terror are past. A proper trial will cathartic for the whole country and make it very difficult,, after detailed scrutiny, to even whisper that Saddam was a great man and leader. The depth of his murderous paranoia is yet to be determined but should experience global acknowledgement. I just attended a briefing by a Brit Brigadier named Williams in which he emphasized how much easier their work has been since Saddam’s capture. These Brits control the Southern Sector in which Basra, the second largest city in Iraq with a population of some 2,000,000 and all of the ports, is located. He stated that the overall news, all across Iraq, is good even though the news agencies can’t quite bring themselves to speak this fact. We all know that the violence will continue until some future saturation point is reached, but we’re gaining valuable ground in accomplishing the overall mission. We just must stay the course! One of the really great dividends from our Reserve Forces stationed throughout Iraq is that many of them own their own businesses in civilian life and are true entrepreneurs. Through our Civil Affairs Teams, these folks have been very active in establishing programs to stand up small Iraqi businesses. At this stage, prosperity in the private sector will prove more devastating to the conditions that breed terrorists than any military action we might initiate. Not only do these wonderful Americans share their expertise at a sort of “Chamber of Commerce” level, but have instituted programs for micro-loans and other financial assistance for Iraqis. Again, the Iraqis are only looking for a small boost, never charity. It’s really exciting to see Iraq’s essential infrastructure take those first few critical breaths of freedom! More soon...
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