Personnel have been ordered not to leave reinforced buildings unless absolutely necessary. On those occasions, employees are required to wear body armor, helmets, protective eyewear and other protective gear.
Long-term, the State Department has a better plan. Saddam Hussein's palace will be vacated. Despite hundreds of construction defects, the department recently accepted construction of the "hardened" embassy compound.
This 27-building complex, constructed on 104 acres by a Kuwaiti contractor using slave labor imported from the Philippines at a cost of $736 million, including $144 million in change orders, is "heavily fortified" and will, according to Ambassador Ryan Crocker, provide " some added protection".
Added protection is undoubtedly necessary and prudent. In the three weeks following Cheney's heavily protected visit, four Americans died in shellings of the Green Zone. At least 14 non-Americans have also been killed there, and at least 17 American soldiers were wounded. Helicopters, military vehicles and buildings have been destroyed.
A spokesperson for the State Department, America's bastion of truthfulness, commented on reports of rocket attacks:
"I'm not aware of any."
During his visit, Cheney reacted in his uniquely delusional fashion, by expressing admiration for the "phenomenal" improvements in security. He expressed a number of other similarly delusional conclusions during his visit:
... "great progress" has been made in both security and governance...
"... significant progress in the last ten months..."
The invasion five years ago and efforts to install "democracy and stabilize Iraq" ... was a "successful endeavor".
There we have it. According to Cheney, the five-year goal of bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq has been accomplished. Personal safety, and such basics as food, electricity and drinkable water be damned.
As these insane pronouncements were uttered, explosions occurred. In Karbala, a female suicide bomber killed fifty people and wounded dozens more. Near the Green Zone, bombs killed four people and injured thirteen.
Cheney deceitfully implied these isolated, last-throes dead-ender attacks were carried out by people associated with al-Qaeda:
"... it is pretty clear that there was a link..." between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein before the invasion.
Three days later, the Pentagon issued a report stating there is absolutely no proof whatsoever of any significant operational link between al-Qaeda and Hussein, who actually were bitter enemies. This latest report confirmed conclusions contained in dozens of previous studies made over the past five years.
General Petraeus begged to differ as to the cause of the violence. He proclaimed "... Iranian-provided, Iranian-made" rockets were being used to attack the Green Zone. They were launched by groups trained and funded by the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
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