When You Get the Urge for Going

The helo that was to have flown me to Baghdad tomorrow (Friday) has been canceled.

That my meetings in the Embassy with various offices get wiped out is not my biggest concern; it's that I now have only one day to make it to BIAP - Baghdad International Airport - that place through which all of us serving in Iraq must pass when arriving or departing.

If you had a whole day anywhere else in the world to make a flight connection, that would seem like more than enough time. Here, however, that's not the case. Some people travel three or four days in advance to hedge against the possibility that their helo flight is canceled for weather or competing priorities. (The flight itself is a big like taking an amusement park ride. The helos bob and weave over the tree tops, never flying in a straight line. If you enjoy those kinds of rides, it's fun; if you are inclined toward motion sickness, this isn't your favorite means of transport.)

But back to the issue on my mind -- getting on that C-130 on Sunday to fly to Amman and then connecting onward to Warsaw. My three months on the ground in Hillah have been rewarding. The job of leading a 40-person PRT comprised of a wide variety of personnel is not awfully different from that of a DCM. The Management and Regional Security Office (RSO) elements in the Hillah Reginal Embassy Office are separate from the PRT, so there is not a unified management structure, and of course the tasks at hand the challenges one faces are not common to an Embassy . . . at least not in a developed and stable country.

In that regard, we were reminded this week about the danger of working here when an EFP hit one of the military vehicles only several hundred meters from our compound. Fortunately no one was killed, but two soldiers were wounded. That it was possible for the terrorists to plant an EFP in such close proximity to an Iraqi Police check point raises concern, of course.

I have just completed going over our personnel and determining when contracts need to be renewed. Fortunately, all of the State Department direct-hire employees (known as 3161s) want to renew their one year contracts. So too do the BBAs -- Bilingual/Bicultural Assistants. These are mostly naturalized Americans, with roots in Iraq or another Middle East country. Without them (and our Locally Engaged Staff (LES)), the PRT's ability to achieve its mission would be severely handicapped.

Today I signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the head of the Iraqi Fish Production Society IFPS) through which a PRT-originated project run by an AID contractor (INMA) will provide one million carp fingerlings. The photo below is of the IFPS President and me signing the MOU.

Carpe carp! There are many fish farms in Babil, and they are quite noticeable flying to/from Baghdad, dotting the landscape. The waters of the Euphrates are diverted to fill these man-made fish ponds, which employ lots of folks. Many of the fish farms fell into disuse and disrepair over the last decade as the Iraqi economy declined and as the security situation worsened.

Babil is more secure now, although not enough yet to have the Iraqi Security Forces here assume Provincial Iraqi Control of the security portfolio. With the improved security, we (the USG) are looking to try to catalyze renewed economic activity that will create jobs.

Many of the young men who fall in with insurgents, or help them on a part time basis, do so because it provides an income. If those same young men have constructive alternatives, the lifeline of the terrorists can be choked off. The month of May witnessed the lowest number of US military deaths since the conclusion of the liberation. Overall, acts of violence throughout Iraq are way down. These gains remain fragile, however, and the approaching provincial elections will test whether the political parties are prepared to resist the temptation to engage in traditional (violent) politics. It will not be easy to have a democratic election in a country still in conflict, even if at much reduced levels.

Footnote: At 9:30pm I received a call from the 10th Mtn HQ informing me that I have a helo to the IZ tomorrow. All you have to do is wait a little bit and things change around here -- this time for the better. This may be my last post in Iraq until early August.

Iraq reconstruction.

Barbara suggests to check out The Task Force Marne Transformation Manual for some interesting before-and-after pictures on reconstruction projects in Iraq.

With General Petraeus.

Photo by Staff Sgt. L. J.

Changing of the guard.

Tomorrow early in the morning I fly to Baghdad, or more appropriately to Camp Victory, for the change of command of the Multi-National Division Center-South, which includes Babil Province. Not sure whether I am on the same helicopter as the Governor and the Iraqi Army and Police Commanders. The Tenth Mountain Division is replacing the Third Infantry Division, whose Deputy Commanding General I grew very much to like and with whom I hope to stay in touch.

The other two PRTs (Najaf and Karbala), that had been colocated with us here in Hillah, deployed out to their respective provinces over the last week. This considerably alters the dynamics, reducing the proportion of people located in the REO (Regional Embassy Offices) serving on PRTs.

At this point, we have only two FSOs (Foreign Service Officers) occupying four State Department positions on the PRT. The rest of the PRT are an interesting combination of USAID (one), direct hires, contractors of various kinds, and military personnel on a CA (Civil Affairs) Team and with the Army Corps of Engineers.

Of course, there are LES (Locally Engaged Staff), who are the real core. Just imagine an Embassy in which everyone turns over each year, and all the discontinuity that would create and how much it would increase the value of the local staff.

Well, that is the situation on a PRT or one of the four Regional Embassy Offices, which are located in Basrah, Hillah, Kirkuk and Erbil.

Two key LES will soon depart, having obtained their Special Immigrant Visas to the US. They are very deserving and will soon depart, leaving a big hole that will be very hard to fill. Unlike in the 2003-04 period, when highly educated persons were eager to work on a PRT/REO and there were few other attractive decent paying options, that is no longer the case.

While that is a good-news story for Iraq, as the economy picks up and opportunities grow, it does not make it easier to fill these positions, especially when working for the US can still entail real threats to the life and loved ones of an employee. Those who do choose to work with us, have to have lots of courage on a daily basis.

Bad news and good news...

We were supposed to have lunch with the Babil Governor last Monday, but an IED attack on his motorcade in Baghdad's outskirts and the fall out from that -- one of his bodyguards died from injuries sustained in the attack -- forced him to reschedule. We'll likely meet with him later this week. Our medical personnel in Baghdad and Balad have been working on moving one of the other three to a US medical facility to have a procedure carried out.

Today, several of us from the PRT joined Embassy personnel from Baghdad and the 3rd Infantry Division Deputy Commander traveled to the Euphrates Fish Farm not far from Hillah. The USAID contractor celebrated the completion of a carp fingerling project in which the US is providing the local fish farmers with 6 million fingerlings. These will be distributed in the coming month to the local fish farmers using vouchers.

Army Sgt. Joshua Seymour, with Company A, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, points to fish surfacing for food as he conducts an assessment of a fish farm in Qarghuli village in Iraq’s Babil province, April 9, 2008. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

The hope is that this will energize the fish industry. Like in Central/Eastern Europe, carp is very popular here. In fact, it is more expensive than lamb or beef. At the Fish Farm they served baked carp, and I ate some. It was actually rather good, given that I have never much liked carp -- except at Christmas in Central Europe, where it is almost a religious ritual. That reminds me, however, that I forgot to take some Cipro after we returned to the Embassy. This could be my last posting!

Traveling out of Iraq; the meaning of "Iraq"; sandstorms and sandtraps...

My two days (ongoing) of waiting for a helo to take me to Baghdad underscores that traveling here is a bit like gambling: sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you lose. Most people build in a buffer of a few days, if they are traveling from a PRT to Baghdad and then onward for a flight out of the country, so as not to miss reaching their commercial flight.

I know some people who have been stuck in Baghdad for almost a week due to weather or for other reasons. My plan for going back to Warsaw and onward for summer leave is to book a helo ride to Baghdad a few days in advance of my milair flight to Amman, from which I will take a commercial flight to Frankfurt/Warsaw.

If I miss either of the two legs prior to Amman, I will miss my commercial flight. Traveling inside or into/out of Iraq, where the first priority of helos is saving lives and where dust storms regularly prevent all aircraft from flying, can be more risky than flying into Terminal Five at Heathrow. (No offense meant to any Brits, just a measure of comparison.)

Sandstorms in central Iraq have not historically been a big problem, I am told by the locals - unlike Kuwait, for instance, where sandstorms have always been a normal part of the weather. Twenty years ago, there were 3-4 sandstorms a year in Hillah. We have had more than that in the almost two and one-half months I have been here.

We are now, of course, in the midst of a drought, which has parched the earth, especially up north, where it is usually greener. The Hillah and Euphrates rivers are down almost one meter. Still, there is a tremendous amount of water underground.

It is common -- and easier -- to use a bulldozer to reach water than dig a traditional well. They just have to scrape away three or four meters of earth to hit the water table. The desert is speckled with these bull-dozered mounds of earth surrounding pools of water. The locals throw in a pump and irrigate a patch of land around the watering hole and there are these green islands.

In fact, the word Iraq, is similar to the word for artery "irq," which some of the locals claim is a reference to the "underground rivers" that flow through Mesopotamia's heartland. Others claim that the name Iraq comes from Ork -- a coincidental similarity to the bad creatures it the Lord of the Rings. Ork supposedly was derived from Ur, the most ancient city in this part of the world, just a drift downriver.

Prior to March, when the IZ (international zone) started getting shelled regularly, Baghdad was a comparatively nice place to be stuck. There is a movie theater (which I haven't visited) and a large pool area. The food there is comparable to what we get in Hillah, although perhaps a bit better. Life there has became more difficult since March with the nearly daily rocket attacks.

The number of shellings has eased recently, but the recent intense period of attacks resulted in several deaths, including an FSO. Nevertheless, getting to Baghdad is also a chance for consulting with different offices in the Embassy or for making requests -- or delivering on them. When/if I travel there tonight, I have to pick up maps, consult with HR, and of course there is our home office, OPA (Office of Provincial Affairs).

I get to write this journal entry, because I am skipping dinner. I had a large lunch with some visiting Sheiks, who brought with them pictures of Paul Bremer and a previous Regional Coordinator, the precursor in Hillah to the PRT.

The sheiks have a different perspective on the situation, and of course are attuned to the mood and needs of their tribesmen in a way that many elected politicians are not. Tribal loyalties in Iraq today give real meaning to the adage that "blood is thicker than water." And there is an instinctive admiration for a strong leader, which PM Maliki seems to have tapped into. The sheiks almost uniformly applaud Maliki's aim of re-establishing the rule of law and disbanding militias and for having the gumption to take the fight to the Mahdi Army, even while inviting them to take part in the political process. One strongman they did not admire in this part of Iraq was Saddam Hussein. He did little to lift the standard of living in southern or south-central Iraq and he aggressively persecuted the Shia in the wake of the 1991 uprising. Many males from Hillah fled the country around this time.

After an extended talk about this topic and Iran, one of the sheiks today said I needed a robe and traditional headgear to match my beard. My deputy interpreted that as a sign that I can expect to get a robe.

That made me think what it would be like to wear it on my travel through Frankfurt and Warsaw airport and see the reaction of the security officials when I pull out my American diplomatic passport. The ensuing cognitive dissonance might be interesting to observe, but I don't want to risk being yanked off a flight after successfully negotiating the sandstorms and sandtraps of travel inside Iraq.

Polish heroine.

I just received word from Barbara that Irena Sendlerowa died last week. She truly was an inspirational woman, and displayed remarkable bravery in saving many Jews during WWII. I am glad that I had a chance to meet her in my first year in Poland at an awards ceremony that honored her. Each year there are fewer persons who lived through that era. She was a living example that it is possible for ordinary persons to reach inside themselves and do extraordinary things in resisting and persevering against evil. Now she belongs to the history books.

I am still stuck in Hillah...

... waiting for the helicopter that should take me to Baghdad. Three military helo sorties have passed through here but the Embassy-run helos are grounded due to weather. They need clear weather for non-critical missions, and moving personnel around the country for meetings is not a top priority in the bigger scheme of things. If it doesn't pick me up in the next hour, I won't travel until tomorrow.

Am going to Baghdad to attend a discussion in the Embassy on the upcoming provincial elections. A majority of the Sunni parties and also the Sadrist Trend stayed away from the 2005 provincial elections, and thus do not have elected reps on the provincial council. The Sunnis are set to run candidates, but it is not yet clear -- with only two weeks left for the registration process -- whether the Sadrists will participate or boycott.

A few days ago I obtained the release of a Sadrist detainee. We turned over the Sadrist to a sympathizer who sits on the Provincial Council and had to sign a guarantor's statement. The aim is to engage the Sadrists in a dialogue and to promote reconciliation. We have not had a dialogue with the ST in this province up till now. We are hoping that the word gets out about the release.

My helo to Baghdad tomorrow should fortunately leave in the early morning, so I will be able to avoid the highest temps of the day, which will be over 100F tomorrow.

I much prefer cold to heat, and I don't find myself changing my view. If anything a year here may reinforce it.

I am struck at how beautiful the moon is here, apparently due to the lack of humidity. One can really see a lot of detail in the seas of the moon. The dry air does not bend the light rays. There is also less ambient light from cities, especially this time of year.

There are now only a couple of hours of electricity each day in Babil and most neighboring provinces. Just two months ago it averaged eight hours per day of electricity. The demand for electricity, of course, goes up significantly with the hot weather, so two hours of voltage this time of year is the equivalent of 6 or 8 hours several months ago when air conditioning was not being used.

Meeting this week with Babil Chief Justice together with departing 3ID General and his replacement, along with other Babil judges.

Recent release of a detainee at the initiative of the PRT to promote political reconciliation with Sadrist Trend. In the background is a recreation of the famous Ishtar Gate -- original in a Berlin Museum.

This one was taken two weeks ago. From left to right: PRT Rule of Law Advisor, me, Chief of Babil Amnesty Commission, another judge and a PRT employee.

Golfing in Iraq, antiquities, logos and other miscellanea.

I have not been writing recently...

There's a fun piece on golf in Baghdad. I walked with a good friend and colleague, Ed, next to this course, which isn't nearly as nice as it sounds in the article! A couple of excerpts:

Photo by Petr David Josek, Associated Press of Bradley Brooks, author of the article

... My first swing off the first tee was smooth and the ball sailed straight and true.

For a brief moment I forgot where I was. ...

One recent afternoon -- squeezed in between sandstorms and incoming mortar rounds -- a colleague and I hit the links. We dubbed it the Baghdad Open. ...

The course "is the sole entertainment that we have here in Iraq"...

I was in Baghdad yesterday for a quick meeting to talk about Sadrists. Each province has a different situation, and of course Baghdad has the most violence. The IZ has been hit by rockets or mortars almost every day for more than one month.

The process for registering political parties and candidates has begun, although an electoral law has not yet been passed by the Council of Representatives (Parliament). There is a lot riding on the outcome: from political reconciliation and further federalization to reconstruction and corruption. All these things are sure to be impacted by the vote that hopefully will take place in the Fall.

A UNESCO-mandated report by International Investigation Committee of Archaeologists is expected to release a report on the Babylonian site, which has been closed since allegations were made about damages done by coalition forces. We and the Poles had forces located at the site at different times between 2003 and 2006. (There is currently a Babylon exhibition at the Louvre
Attempts by the Louvre to get Iraq to loan it some treasures were thwarted by security issues.)

I'll send some photos of a recent visit to the Babylonian ruins and Saddam's Palace, that he built atop an artificial Hill on the banks of the Euphrates.

The Lion of Babylon is very famous but it is also a statue that conveys mixed feelings for the local citizens, as we discovered when looking for a logo for the Babil PRT.

We now have a Ninevan figure on our crest. Nineva, however, is a province up north with no connection to this province of Babil/Babylon.) We ruled out the Tower of Babel as an option -- not a positive message. The local Iraqis said that the Lion of Babel was actually created by the Assyrian conquerors of Babylon and placed facing eastward toward the Persians to shown them what they could expect if they invaded, i.e., have a lion standing over them. I liked the second part of that message, but the symbol is one of a conqueror for some of our employees, so it seems that the figure of Hammurabi being given the code of laws is the winner.

There are several lawyers on our PRT who are pleased with the outcome. It is, of course, reassuring to know that lawyers can aspire to upward mobility and service on PRTs in Iraq!
In all seriousness, rule of law issues here are rather important. Tomorrow, I should have some interesting news to report. Until then . . .

Weapons.

See photos of many weapons seized (by the Iraqis) from a truck in Babil a few days ago -- mortars, IED and EFP components.

This comes from a media website and is unclassified: http://www.alforattv.net/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=20565

Horrible mistakes.

The following is an edited version of Kenneth's message to a friend that I (Barbara) am including in Kenneth's blog, because I found it most relevant as to what Kenneth and others are faced with.

A couple of weeks ago, Kenneth was headed out to go meet with the staff of a hospital that we accidentally rocketed five days earlier. Kenneth reported that

"unlike the criminal insurgent groups who purposefully seek to injure civilians, we try hard not to do so, but sometimes mistakes are made. This time we killed four Iraqi policemen in the process. Very tragic, and of course in the current context of high emotions amidst escalated fighting, very capable of stirring emotions. Within less than one week, however, the US military will have made condolence payments to the families and we are making plans to cover the cost of repairs. The US has a good track record in dealing with this kind of problem.

It was a long and tiring day. In addition to meeting with all the hospital reps, I was asked to address the Provincial Council on the same issue and there was an emotional (for them) Q and A session."

Kenneth wrote the above wondering if he would return, and because he wanted to have it noted.

Posted by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I was complaining about the lack of a dry cleaner...

... here on the compound . . . . until I learned today (April 18) what happened in Baghdad. Due to recent activities in the IZ (international zone), clothing dropped off from 21 thru 31 March at the Embassy's laundry department was not returned from the vendor. The Embassy has tried to contact the vendor in order to have the clothing returned, but so far has not been successful , although it has not given up hope on retrieving the clothing in another week.

Moving on...

Barbara "emotes" about moving yet one more time...

Hope and Humans - an update.

We got the little girl to Baghdad late yesterday, to be assessed and stabilized. Our good friend and world-renowned Czech spinal surgeon has been very helpful, and he contacted another spinal surgeon in Kuwait with whom we will try to work to have this little girl sponsored for
surgery there. I am working on getting her to either the UK or Kuwait.

Hope and Humans.

Written yesterday:

I thought of Adriana today.

I was contacted in the morning by the head of the Hillah doctors' association about helping a 13-year old Iraqi girl who was involved in a road accident and is now paralyzed. Without urgent medical attention, her prognosis is that she will suffer permanent paralysis and be a quadriplegic. Adequate medical care is not available in Hillah nor, it turned out, even in Baghdad. Those hospitals don't have the a surgical capabilities to deal with the spinal fractures she suffered.

We in the PRT were grounded today in anticipation that there might have been a resurgence of violence. Last evening Moqtada al-Sadr called off today's planned Million Man March on Baghdad, and some people were expecting the south-central provinces to be the stage for Sadr's followers to take to the streets. That left PRT staff with no outside activities scheduled. That was fortunate, because when I learned about this case, I asked my staff to start working on getting the young girl to Baghdad, not knowing then that even Baghdad did not have the required facilities. Well, everyone from the security offices in Hillah and Baghdad and a major contractor's physician's assistant in Hillah, to the Locally Engaged Staff, contract employees, FSOs (Foreign Service Officers) and the Third Infantry Division staff, all got behind the effort throughout the day. You would have thought that I put up the Hope Diamond as a prize!

After lots of hard work through the course of the day all the elements seemed to come together. I signed off on a memo this evening to the Chargé to have a formal request made so that this little girl will fly out of our compound tomorrow to a U.S. military medical facility north of Baghdad. Tragically, her Mom died today of injuries sustained in the same road accident. There are a few poignant ironies in all of this which give our help extra meaning, but that will have to await another day.

On reflection, it became apparent to me why so many people threw themselves into this effort with such gusto -- arranging in one day a medical helo, translating, scanning and transmitting medical records, working the phones, getting approvals, coordinating with the Hillah hospital and the family, arranging for ambulance transport, arranging for an accompanying nurse -- a PRT Civil Affairs officer who also has a teenage girl back in the US -- and lining up some media coverage. (After all, if we are going to do all this for a 13-year old girl, for whom the USG has no responsibility, there is no reason to keep that news under a rock.)

The reason for this humanitarian surge, perhaps, is that amidst all the death and destruction and occasional despair in and around our little corner of Iraq, the chance to save a little girl from permanent paralysis gave everyone a sense of promise and purpose. It is the antidote of hope to the horrors of war, and it just made everyone feel good. Between 6-7am Thursday morning we should know if we have a green light, and when that little girl flies out of here, she'll carry with her the hopes of more people than she'll ever know.

Planting a tree on Earth Day ...

... one of more than a thousand being planted in Babil as a gift of the American people. The date palm is Iraq's national tree -- although in fact it is actually a grass -- and is recognized as a symbol of peace. I am the bearded fellow.

Bombings, Babylon and the Bloody Sands.

It has been busy the last two weeks, and I had forgotten that I wrote much of this journal entry on March 13, the day before the first rocket attack on our compound in several months. Another occurred on March 17 and then again -- with more accuracy -- on March 28. We were very fortunate that no one was killed or injured. I have edited and updated the entry.

On March 20 I had the chance to participate in festivities marking Babil's designation as Iraq's cultural capital. It was one of the few "representational" activities in which I have had to engage. PM Maliki was there, and he gave a rather inspiring speech about the need to respect the rights of fellow citizens and about the change that has and is taking place in Iraq's political culture. One phrase -- about each person's freedom being tied to that of his neighbor -- could have come out of a US civics lesson. Although the festivities took place next to the Babylonian ruins -- the most important part of which (the Ishtar Gate) can be found in Berlin -- I did not have a chance to tour the ruins. Embarrassingly, my personal security detail rivaled that of the PM. I learned with surprise from some of the staff that TV viewers that evening saw a dark suited, tall, bearded man exchanging greetings with PM Maliki and assumed that it was . . . . a visiting Iranian official. As an American diplomat, I would prefer to be mistaken for something else.

It is quite impossible for PRT members to move around in a low profile fashion. We always move in a convoy of several vehicles with lots of guns and gunners. There is no alternative, given the present situation, but it is a sore point for the local population.

Another interesting site only a few minutes drive away is Abraham's birthplace, Borsippa. Together with Kish, another ancient ruin site, the tourism potential for Babil Province is not small, if the security situation were to improve significantly. I hope to have a chance to visit these two spots in the coming weeks, in shallah. The Governor last week signed MOUs with some Australian firms to build hotels and housing in Hillah. He wants to develop the tourism trade and I give him credit for thinking ahead. We are working with him to train staff on tourism and investment promotion activities. Not unsimilar to the kind of activity that took place in Eastern/Central Europe right after the fall of communism.

I have met often with Governor Salam -- three times in my first two days for a variety of reasons. He lived for many years in Iran and has an Iranian wife, in addition to his Iraqi wife. We stay in close touch; he is a "hands-on" Governor. All the activity in the south, including Babil, has limited our ability to move around, so the PRT does more work nowadays by phone. Today's announcement by Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of an opposition Shia poliitical movement (with its own militia, Jaysh al-Mahdi), may open the door to resolution of the ongoing violence in the southern part of the country, most notably in Basrah but also in Baghdad. Today there was a memorial service for one of the Americans who was killed last week in a rocket attack on the IZ (International Zone).

Babil sits astride the main north-south transportation artery along which goods are moved by truck from Kuwait to Baghdad. Babil was under a curfew for the last few days, but that was lifted today -- to the great relief of our local employees. They are a great group and very dedicated. These folks risk their lives to work for the USG.

We have had a few dust storms in the last two weeks. After each, dust coats everything in the office. It makes no difference if your windows are closed. This stuff is so fine it seems to get through anyway. Its almost like a fog and you can taste it in the air.

Mental conditioning...

Barbara recommends an article she read in Men's Mental Health magazine on what makes the US Navy SEALS so brave. It starts with a description of Katyusha rockets exploding in Iraq...

Current situation.

I know that you must be reading about southern Iraq going to hell in a hand basket, and there is a bit of that going on, but I wanted you to know that I am fine. In fact, the more dangerous things become on the outside, the more we hunker down on our base. If one does not travel around, you can't be hit by an IED or have an EFP tear up your car. So the paradox is: the more dangerous it is, the more safe I am.

Drama comes naturally here and of course, there is a bit of drama to what is playing out.

Meanwhile, from the US Embassy in Baghdad:

Warden Message: Personal Protective Equipment and Hardened Structures

March 27, 2008

This is to notify all U.S. citizens in Iraq that the U.S. Embassy has announced that, until further notice, all personnel under the authority of the Chief of Mission are required to wear body armor, helmet and protective eyewear anytime they are outside of building structures in the International Zone. In addition, Chief of Mission personnel in the International Zone have been advised to remain inside of hardened structures at all times, except for mission essential movements.

Reality check...update:

Some of the latest news:

ISF contain violence in Hillah

Many killed by U.S. strike in Iraq's Hilla: sources

Reality check.

One of the first American diplomats in a while was killed yesterday in Baghdad. Paul Converse, who had earlier served here in Hillah, was a victim of the shelling that has hit the IZ (International Zone) hard recently. We have gunfire just 1 kilometer away, and some militants tried to seize a Police checkpoint I passed through this afternoon on the way to meet with the Governor and provincial security officials. Never a dull moment.

The fighting yesterday here in Hillah kept some of our staff from going home last night. There aren't any US journalists in this province, so the news here won't make it to the western media, except if the Katyusha rockets manage to land on our compound.

We have had to stay in the hotel this evening...

... unable to go to the DFAC (dining facility) or our SHUs (Single Housing Units or home trailers), because of fighting nearby. It's been nearly a week since my last journal entry, so this gives me a chance to write one.

Yesterday saw the imposition of a dawn to dusk curfew in Babil, which continued through today in an effort to tamp down outbreaks of violence. Most of this has come from disaffected Jaysh Al-Mahdi (JAM) elements (the Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia). I met with the Governor and his key advisors today about this.

We are fortunate that our situation is better than that in Basrah. Babil's very competent SWAT forces have regional responsibilities, although they were quite engaged here in Hillah last evening. Prime Minister Maliki is directing the effort to reestablish government control in and around Basrah. That southern border is an area through which Iranian weapons are smuggled into Iraq. The events in Baghdad and Basrah, of course, have reverberations throughout the Shia community in the south, and tensions here are high.

Met two Polish soldiers this week up from their neighboring area. The province in which the Polish forces are based has seen lots of JAM activity this last week.

On a local note, yesterday was the day Shia celebrate the Prophet's birthday, while the Sunnis commemorated his birthday on March 20.

Last Thursday, I attended the opening festivities at the Babylonian ruins celebrating Babil's designation as Iraq's cultural capital. PM Maliki was there with the Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Minister of Culture. He gave an inspiring speech about the importance of freedom and how it has reshaped the country. I was taped being introduced to the PM, and was mistaken by some viewers as an Iranian diplomat, according to one of the PRT staff, because of my beard and dark suit. Barbara used to say that a beard made me look like a European socialist, something that didn't have much of an impact on me. But an Iranian diplomat?

The heat has arrived in the last two days...

I believe it got to 100F today, but it is much less painful than a Washington or Warsaw 100F. It is of course, much drier. Now I may have a different perspective on 130-140F.

We had no chaplain visit on Easter Sunday, so we had no Easter Service. Worked all day long. Everybody here works 7 days a week.

Awul stuff happens.

I did not know Paul Converse, the US Embassy employee who was killed during the Easter Sunday attack of the Green Zone in Baghdad, but some of our staff here did. He served in Hillah prior to Baghdad.

There is a 24-hour curfew in effect after the fighting here yesterday, but today has not seen the same level of violence. We had to provide shelter to some, because of the security situation -- fighting in the downtown area.