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"Kuwait
Series" - by Gaylan King
Contents:
Baghdad, no matter what you read, is as safe as any other big town IF you mind you own business and don't wear an American military uniform. There are crazies around but they're everywhere, aren't they? Baghdad reminds me of Europe, it's so cosmopolitan; the food is delicious and I like the Iraqis that I know. We have two main business partners there. One is the second richest man in Iraq, Alaa Abdulahat, and he's an absolute hoot. Our other partner is 7 brothers who are into everything; my boss met them in London at an economic conference on Iraq. These guys provide all of our cars, drivers, weapons (I'm licensed to carry an AK-47 and 9 MM anywhere in Iraq), and are some of the best people I've ever met. I'm working on establishing our own charter airline, the first in Iraq. I can then cross the border, fly to Baghdad in an hour, work all day and be here by nightfall. To fly to Baghdad now, you fly to Bahrain, then Jordan, then to Baghdad. This takes a day and costs a fortune. We've also bought a distribution and storage center in the Iraqi port of Um Qasar so that we may by-pass the Kuwait bureaucracy and take cargo straight to Baghdad. We have the GM franchise and also supply all of the Humvee spare parts for the 200,000 or so such vehicles in Iraq. My boss is an American-born Lebanese who worked for the world bank and is a several-hundred-millionaire. He's also one one the greatest people I know; we've traveled together and are friends. He told me that he'll make me a rich man and I don't doubt it for one minute. I haven't been bored since I joined him and the money is phenomenal. When I get tired of this I'll come home, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. I plan to visit the states as soon as I can after the first of the year. I know this is sort of terse, but I'm on a dead run to get gone. I'm taking pictures and will send some pieces, again, when I get back.
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Iraq
7 -
September 14 2003 -
As you know, I've taken a job as the Director
of Security for a company in Kuwait. It was pure luck
( or Lord!) that I got the opportunity. Iraq is a
goldmine; they're the richest country in the Gulf and
they need everything. I've hired a bunch of Special
Ops soldiers, not guards, and we take convoys to and
from Iraq at great price. I'm leaving Tuesday to
guard, along with 2 other guys, the president of a big
company that's doing billions of dollars worth of work
in Iraq and will do a bunch with us on his projects.