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Construction of the U.S. embassy in Iraq, set to open in September, is projected to cost $592 million, with a staff of 1,000 people and operating costs totaling $1.2 billion a year. It will be a 104-acre complex, which is the size of approximately 80 football fields. On May 10, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) criticized the ballooning size and cost of the embassy in a hearing with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Think Progress » PHOTOS: The $592 Million U.S. Embassy In Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the largest of its kind in the world, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water, and a precarious perch at the heart of Iraq??s turbulent future.
The new U.S. Embassy also seems as cloaked in secrecy as the ministate in Rome.
??We can??t talk about it. Security reasons,? Roberta Rossi, a spokeswoman at the current embassy, said when asked for information about the project.
New embassy in Iraq a mystery - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com
Sounds like a hell of a complex!:thumbsup:
Have a good one!:s4:
I hope it's IED proof, and mortar proof or those occupants are in for a helluva ride.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud
Hell ya........from what I've read it would take quite an attack just to make a dent in the walls.Quote:
Originally Posted by medicinal
Have a good one!:s4:
maybe we should ied, mortar, and iraqi proof iraq....
Or leave!Quote:
Originally Posted by higher4hockey
touche~ but our oil is still under their sand. :jointsmile:Quote:
Originally Posted by medicinal
At least you guys are paying for it 1.2 billion a year for operating costs you guys are nuts.Well its not like your schools need the money
And there you have it, the truth. We are spending enough on Iraq to have the finest infrastructure in the world. things like new schools. Medical for every "citizen", college for every "Citizen" that wants it, rebuild our roads and bridges etc, Now just how insane are we to let an Idiot like Bush, an oilman from Texas, continue to spend money on Iraq like a drunken sailor and keep killing our brave young men and women, not to mention the thousands of Iraqis, just to provide the oil companies with oil for the next 20 years, for that is exactly what he is doing. forget about making Iraq safe for Iraqis, if that happens, doubtful, it will only be a side benefit.Quote:
Originally Posted by fishman3811
MED its a fucking joke.thats all i have to say.
In 1998, the Clinton Administration demonstrated an atypically aggressive response toward terrorism after the assault on two U.S. embassies in Africa. On Aug. 7, 1998, the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were bombed by terrorists, leaving 258 people dead and more than 5,000 injured.Quote:
Originally Posted by medicinal
In response, the U.S. launched cruise missiles on Aug. 20, 1998, striking a terrorism training complex in Afghanistan and destroying a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Khartoum, Sudan, that reportedly produced nerve gas. Both targets were believed to have been financed by wealthy Islamic radical Osama bin Laden, who was allegedly behind the embassy bombings as well as an international terrorism network targeting the United States.
Serious doubts have been raised about whether the pharmaceutical company was indeed involved in terrorist activities, or whether the U.S. made an ill-conceived, trigger-happy strike against a nation it has long considered a pariah state.
Past U.S. foreign policy has opted for the use of sanctions or a UN resolution authorizing the use of force, but the UN's flaccid dealings with Iraq, the lack of support from Muslim allies (most notably the Saudis' indifference to the 1996 truck bomb explosion that killed 19 U.S. service members), and the necessity of deterring attacks on other American embassies led to the U.S.'s more hawkish policy.
Four men, believed to be followers of Osama bin Laden, were convicted on May 29, 2001, for their roles in the bombing of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The blasts killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Some 5,000 people were injured.
Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-'Owhali, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Wadih al-Hage, and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh are believed to be connected with bin Laden's terrorist organization, al-Qaeda ("The Base"). Another six defendants are in custody, while at least 15 more, including bin Laden, remain at large. 13 suspects in this case, including Osama bin Laden, were placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list on Oct. 10, 2001.
U.S. Embassy Bombings
Since we're going to have an embassy there why not create it in a manner that will keep our people safe? Seems that we've learned something from the history of the region.
Have a good one!:s4:
Since we're going to have an embassy there why not create it in a manner that will keep our people safe? Seems that we've learned something from the history of the region.
I believe an embassy is a misnomer. The real operational value of this fortress is to protect the oil barons from the insurgents, and give shelter to a myriad of CIA operatives. The problem is, they have to get from the airport to the fortress and back!
Maybe they will just land on the roof,their not stupid you iknow