'Nice White Land Cruiser'

The third of three posts here at the Missing Man looking at vehicles:

1. Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV
2. Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper
3. The 'nice white Land Cruiser' driven by Manelick's assailants

Photo of a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser for sale in the Middle East.

Death of Contractor
By Dan Halpern, Rolling Stone, March 8, 2007
Excerpt from 'Tale of the Emails' page 74 of the print edition

From: John Dawkins
To: Greg Manelick
Sent: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 14:35:53
Subject: Ryan - Please Read Urgently

This is the worst news I can give you. Ryan was killed today. He was driving along the main highway when allegedly a nice white Land Cruiser drove up next to his Hyundai Galloper and opened fire.....Obviously, you may call me. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I am at your service.

Love, John

About the Toyota Land Cruiser













Photo of a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser (Diesel) for sale to the Middle East.

First built in 1951, the Land Cruiser is Toyota's flagship four-wheel drive vehicle. Introduced in 1984, the 70 Series still remains the workhorse utility vehicle of choice for use as ambulances, fire trucks, security and military vehicles in regions with rough roads through out the world. The 90 Series was developed in 1996 to compete with the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Toyota Land Cruisers are common in Iraq. While not as popular as the Nissan Patrol, the Toyota Land Cruiser is also used by the UN around the world.

Perhaps the most infamous incident involving a Land Cruiser and Iraq was a plot discovered and foiled by Kuwaiti security forces back in 1993. The vehicle was laden with explosives and was intended to assassinate then President George HW Bush. The Iraqi government, then under Saddam Hussein, was believed to be behind the plot. (ref)

A New Day Dawns in Kurdistan
By Joshua Kucera, Time, April 9, 2003

Under the city's ancient citadel men danced to Kurdish pop music accompanying an impromptu parade of taxis, buses with a dozen boys on top, and shiny Toyota Land Cruisers with government officials inside.

In Love With A Car Called Monica
by Andrew Lee Butters, The Middle East - Time Blog, June 10, 2007

The Land Cruiser became known as the Monica [Lewinsky] in Kurdistan apparently because Kurds like their cars like they like their women: big and beautiful. I've heard less polite explanations for why the nickname stuck, something to do with treating their cars like they treat their women. Anyway, you're no one in Erbil if you're not at the wheel of a white Monica.

For U.S. workers in Iraq, a new sense of foreboding
By Susan Taylor Martin, St. Petersburg Times, April 7, 2004

The increased violence against Americans has also fostered two schools of thought about security. Many employees of Kellogg Brown & Root and other major contractors still feel safer traveling in big SUVs with heavily-armed guards. Other contractors think Americans present less of a target if they are less conspicuous.

Among the latter is Larry Underwood, an American businessman who lives in Paris but has been in Iraq since May helping supply the country's new army.

When he first arrived, Underwood had a driver and an expensive Toyota Land Cruiser. Then his driver was robbed of $5,000, and Underwood was forced off the road by would-be bandits.

Now Underwood drives himself around Baghdad, in an older-model Mercedes like those used by many Iraqis.

Soldier Killed, Weapons Caches Found, Terror Suspects Arrested
December 6, 2005

Elsewhere, a joint raid by Iraqi and coalition forces resulted in two suspects detained and several military vehicles recovered Dec. 5 a few miles southwest of Dujayl.

Soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, and coalition troops conducted the early morning raid. Troops also recovered five Toyota Land Cruisers used by the former regime. They also confiscated a large water truck and two assault rifles.

Additional Reading:

History of the Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Website

Photos of Toyota Landcruisers in Northern Iraq
Includes some photos of Kirkuk

Ministry of Interior receives new armored SUVs through Foreign Military
Press Release, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq Public Affairs Office, February 10, 2008

Armored SUVs in Iraq
David Crane, Review at military.com

Related Posts:

Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper March 9, 2008
Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV March 5, 2008
Safa Shukir & the Phone Call December 9, 2007
Kirk's Car December 4, 2007

Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper

The second of three posts here at the Missing Man looking at vehicles:

1. Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV
2. Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper
3. The 'nice white Land Cruiser' driven by Manelick's assailants

Photo of a four-door 2002 Hyundai Galloper listed for sale in France.

On December 14, 2003, Ryan Manelick was driving a white Hyundai Galloper when he was shot and killed shortly after leaving a meeting at Camp Anaconda at the Balad Air Base in Iraq.

Gunmen had sprayed his vehicle with automatic fire, putting three bullets in him: one in his leg, another in his chest and a kill shot in the back of the neck. -- Death of a Contractor

Two Iraqi employees were traveling in the car with Manelick: one survived, one died. According to an email written by John Dawkins to Ryan Manelick's father, Greg, the assailants were driving a 'nice white Land Cruiser' when they pulled up along side and opened fire. Manelick had recently alleged fraud within the company he worked for, Ultra Services, and that it involved US Army officers. His murder remains under investigation.

In December 2003, at the time of Ryan Manelick's death, the insurgency had not yet taken hold; Saddam Hussein had only just been captured the day before and fewer than 20 contractors had died while working in Iraq. Four years later, civilian contractor fatalities stand at over 1,123 of which 301 were recorded in 2006, and 353 in 2007.

About the Hyundai Galloper














Photo of a two-door 2003 Hyundai Galloper listed for sale in Portugal.

The Hyundai Galloper is closely related to the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Hyundai Terracan ('Earth King'). The Terracan was introduced in 2002 to replace the Galloper. The Korean-made Hyundai Galloper was considered a "poor man's" version of the Japanese-made Mitsubishi Pajero. Financially, it was in reach for some middle class Iraqis.

The Hyundai Galloper was manufactured between 1991-2003 and later re-badged as the Mitsubishi Pajero. The Pajero is also known as the Shogun (UK) and Montero (Americas and Spain). The Mitsubishi Pajero is very popular through out the Middle East. The biggest direct competitor to the Mitsubishi Pajero is the Toyota Land Cruiser.

On March 31, 2004, four Blackwater employees, Jerry Zovko, Scott Helvenston, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, were driving in two Pajero SUVs when they were attacked and killed in Fallujah (ref). Just one year earlier, British ITV News correspondent, Terry Lloyd, was driving a Pajero when he was caught in crossfire between the Republican Guard and US forces near Basra. (ref & ref).

The debris of war
By Phillip O'Connor, Post-Dispatch, March 14, 2004

[Sean] O'Sullivan, 39, founded his own nongovernmental organization whose goal is to use Iraqi labor to tear down and clear the hundreds, if not thousands, of bombed-out and looted buildings that scar Baghdad's landscape. [...]

He has almost no overhead. His office is a white Hyundai Galloper in which he rides from job site to job site. His few supplies include a laptop computer, cell phone, electronic organizer, business cards and a well-worn pair of black work boots.

Four months later, in July 0f 2004....

Iraq: A Place of Ambivalence
By Tish Durkin, Huffington Post, April 6, 2007

I remember Mohaymen, a 26-year-old Iraqi who, with my then-fiancé, co-founded JumpStart, a humanitarian organization that directly employed thousands of Iraqis in the rebuilding effort. Every morning at an ungodly hour, he would show up to pick up Sean [O'Sullivan], and the two of them would drive around in Mohaymen's white Hyundai Galloper to building sites all over the place....until one day in July 2004, when Sean and I were briefly back in the States, some gunmen pulled even with the Galloper on a busy highway in broad daylight and shot Mohaymen to death.

As previously mentioned, similar vehicles to the Mitsubishi Galloper: the Nissan Patrol, the Mitsubishi Pajero, Land Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser, were and still are popular.

What about other US companies operating in Iraq? Former Halliburton subsidiary, KBR, generally used GMC vehicles like Yukons and Suburbans as well as the occasional Hummer, though much less often.

Additional Reading:

Contractor deaths up 17 percent across Iraq in 2007
By David Ivanovich, Houston Chronicle, February 9, 2008

Related Posts:

Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV March 5, 2008
Safa Shukir & the Phone Call December 9, 2007
Kirk's Car December 4, 2007

Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV

The next few posts here at the Missing Man will take a look at vehicles:

1. Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV
2. Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper
3. The 'nice white Land Cruiser' driven by Manelick's assailants

Photo of a "Nissan Patrol in Iraq that was being used by security contractors near the Syrian Border" in December 2005. More images, including interior, can be found at the source of this photo.

Kirk von Ackermann made arrangements to buy a used white Nissan Patrol SUV in Iraq.

Some time after leaving a meeting at FOB Pacesetter, von Ackermann called an Iraqi employee, told the employee he had trouble with his tire and to come get him in the Jabal Hamrin mountains between Tikrit and Kirkuk. His Nissan Patrol SUV was discovered abandonned 45 minutes later, roughly 140 miles from FOB Pacesetter.

About the Nissan Patrol SUV

Photo of a 2003 Nissan Patrol SUV in Australia.

Even though they are very popular world wide, they are not sold in the US and consequently have a very limited presence in the States. The UN has used the Nissan Patrol for over 40 years. The Patrol was also used by UNSCOM weapons inspectors in Iraq for years -- and everyone in Baghdad knew their Patrols by site. Of course, 'UN' in huge black letters on the sides made them hard to miss.

Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein
By Scott Ritter, former UNSCOM weapons inspector, page 1

Baghdad, 8 March 1998

The long convoy of white Nissan Patrol vehicles snaked its way along the Baghdad thoroughfare towards the Iraqi ministry of Defense. In side the vehicles were sitting dozens of grim stony faced men. They were experts from the United Nations Special Commission or UNSCOM: weapons inspectors mandated by the the Security Council to disarm Iraq. As chief inspector of this particular mission, I sat in the lead vehicle. We were in no hurry, being more concerned with keeping the convoy together than with speed. Our target was not going anywhere, so I was content to crawl along in the slow lane, letting the bustling traffic of a Baghdad rush hour stream on by. By this time, UN inspectors had been in Iraq for almost seven years, and our white vehicles, emblazoned with large black 'UN' letter, were an all-too-familiar sight to the citizens of Baghdad, who signaled to us in a variety of ways as they drove past. Most simply honked their horns and waved, but there were more than a few who shook their fists and cursed us in God's name for the economic ruin brought on their country. Iraq was reeling after more than a decade of UN-sponsored sanctions.

Suspicions that von Ackermann worked for the CIA -- thus making him a target -- based solely on his choice of car can not be ignored given the history of the Nissan Patrol SUV in Iraq and events with CIA and UNSCOM. Although, it seems a bit of a stretch.

Annan's Office Leaked Allegations of US Spies in UNSCOM
By David Ensor & AP, CNN, January 7, 1999

The sources said the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] did help UNSCOM, at its request, to eavesdrop electronically on officers of special Republican Guard units assigned by Hussein to both conceal his illegal weapons programs and provide for the Iraqi leader's personal security. [...] More than a year of tension between Washington and Baghdad began in the fall of 1997 when Iraq demanded an end to U.S. participation in the weapons inspections, charging that they were espionage operations.

In addition to the Nissan Patrol, the Mitsubishi Pajero, Land Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser were and still are equally popular. During Saddam Hussein's rule, all such vehicles tended to be the property of well-connected party members, security forces, and/or non-governmental organizations such as agencies of the UN. In general terms, all such vehicles were and still are out of reach to the ordinary citizen of Iraq.

Return of exile who hopes to lead nation
By David Blair, UK Telegraph, Baghdad April 17, 2003

With all the assurance of an American presidential candidate, Mr Chalabi sailed into Baghdad in a motorcade of five white Nissan Patrol cars.

What about other US companies operating in Iraq? Former Halliburton subsidiary, KBR, generally used GMC vehicles like Yukons and Suburbans as well as the occasional Hummer, though much less often.

Problems with the Jack

Suspicion surrounds missing Bay Area man
By Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, February 13, 2005

In the midafternoon of Oct. 9, 2003, Kirk von Ackermann, an American contract worker from the Bay Area, used a satellite phone to call a colleague from a lonely desert road between Tikrit and Kirkuk in northern Iraq. He told his colleague he had a flat tire and needed a jack.

A spare tyre with jack comes as standard equipment on a Nissan Patrol. Was the jack missing or did it just not work? Which tire had a problem, front or rear?

This is a photo of a Hi-Lift Jack from ARB, an Australian manufacturer and distributor of 4x4 accessories. For storage, the Hi-Lift Jack typically mounts on the exterior rear or roof of the vehicle with the spare tire.

This type of jack, the Hi-Lift Jack, is not standard equipment for the Nissan Patrol but is generally recommended for off-road vehicles. However, there's some on-line discussion about tipping problems using Hi-Lift Jacks for rear tires on Nissan Patrols. Discussion about those problems, and the need for a custom bracket in order to use a Hi-Lift Jack, can be found at Patrol 4x4. Includes photos of a custom lift bracket made for a Hi-Lift Jack.

Tires

Run-flat tires are extremely popular for off-road vehicles because of the likelihood of punctures in remote locations. There's no indication von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol had run-flat tires but I thought they were worth noting given the environment he was working in. I also mention them because I spent 5 months working in a foreign country with some rough roads. My boss at the time had 3 flat tires in one day. I think the record was 5 by someone working in another department.

Run-Flat Tires are standard issue on armored vehicles as a safety feature. If a tire is shot out, the car can still get away safely. All of the US military vehicles in Iraq? They come equipped with run-flat tires. Hummers, Strykers, etc, all have run-flats. The US military has been using some version of run-flats for decades.

There are three types of run-flats.

A) An inner rigid ring -- like a donut -- basically hugs the rim. If the tire goes flat, the car can still drive about 100 miles at 50mph without damaging the rim as it rides on the ring. Enough to get you to a garage.

B) The tire has a rigid wall on either side that again holds up the vehicle from riding on the rim if the tire loses pressure. Type B relies on an electronic pressure gauge that alerts the driver to losing pressure otherwise they might not notice the tire has lost air.

C) Used in racing cars. The tires are filled with a foam-like substance. Type C don't apply, but if you google you'll come across information on them.

Some Type B tires require a specialized jack to change the tire, which means taking the vehicle to a mechanic. But Type B also alerts the driver to service the vehicle.

Additional Reading:

Iraqi Police to receive 2,600 vehicles this year through Foreign Military Sales
By Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq, Public Affairs Office, Phoenix Base, February 18, 2008 (includes photos)

Nissan Patrol used by the International Committee of the Red Crescent
(includes photos)

Packing List
from photographer Erwin Voogt for a two-year expedition from the Netherlands to Tibet. He and his party traveled in a Toyota Land Cruiser; while the example is extreme, the photos and the stories are good. Includes a photo of fixing a flat tire in Pakistan.

Prior related posts:

Safa Shukir & the Phone Call December 9, 2007
Kirk's Car December 4, 2007

Ultra Services - Who, What, Where

On October 9, 2003, the vehicle of an American contractor, Kirk von Ackermann, was found abandoned in the Jabal Hamrin mountains between Tikrit and Kirkuk, Iraq. He worked for Ultra Services of Istanbul, Turkey. Two months later, on December 14, 2003, his colleague, Ryan Manelick, was gunned down shortly after leaving a meeting at a base north of Baghdad. Just days before, he had alleged fraud at his company and that it involved US Army officers.

This is an overview of Ultra Services and the who, what, where surrounding the events of 2003.

The right hand side bar contains links to additional information including this blog's Index of Posts, an extensive Bibliography and Missing in Iraq, the von Ackermann family blog.

The most extensive articles to date are:

Mystery Surrounds US Businessman missing in Iraq's Sunni Triangle
by Colin Freeman, UK Telegraph, November 9, 2003

Bay Area civilian vanishes in Iraq - slight but significant variations of above
by Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, November 11, 2003

Suspicion surrounds missing Bay Area man
by Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, February 13, 2005

One Missing, One Dead: An Iraq Contractor in the Fog of War
by Susie Dow with Steven Reich, ePluribus Media, May 15, 2006

Death of a Contractor: Greed and Murder in Iraq's Lawless Desert
By Dan Halpern, Rolling Stone, March 8, 2007, Issue 1021
pp 70-74, 76-69 (print version includes photos)

Death of a Contractor - alternate link as the original has expired

Missing Contractor: U.S. Military Mechanics May Hold the Keys (full article reprint)
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, April 21, 2008

The journalist who first broke the story, Colin Freeman, writes about the people and events at Ultra Services in his book. Of particular note, his book includes the only known first hand description of the location where Kirk von Ackermann's car was discovered (page 136).

Curse of the Al Dulaimi Hotel: And Other Half-truths from Baghdad
By Colin Freeman, Monday Books, July 2008

Where indicated, photos below were found publicly displayed on the web and are intended as "fair use" under Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

Background

Ultra Services was a small logistics company which fulfilled service and supply contracts in Iraq. They had several offices. The primary office was in Istanbul, Turkey dealing with local suppliers, a second in Baghdad, Iraq coordinating on-site work.

On October 9, 2003, an Ultra Services manager, Kirk von Ackermann, left a meeting at FOB Pacesetter near Balad, just north of Baghdad. Several hours later, von Ackermann called an Iraqi employee and reported a flat tire on an isolated road between Tikrit and Kirkuk in the Jabal Hamrin mountains in north east Iraq. Von Ackermann had recently purchased his car, a white Nissan Patrol SUV. Within minutes of the phone call, a passing patrol reported an abandoned car, it was just a few miles down the road from a checkpoint. The Iraqi employee arrived about forty-five minutes later. Von Ackermann's satellite phone, laptop computer, and a brief case with $40,000 were still in the vehicle. There was no sign of struggle. Von Ackermann remains the longest missing American civilian in Iraq.

Two months later, another Ultra Services manager, Ryan Manelick, alleged von Ackermann's disappearance was tied to fraud and kick backs involving a US Army officer. On December 14, 2003, shortly after leaving a meeting at Camp Anaconda at the Balad Air Base, Manelick, driving a Hyundai Galloper, was killed by gun fire from a 'nice white Land Cruiser.' During the attack, someone in Manelick's car called the satellite phone of another colleague, Charles Phillips. Manelick was shot 3 times, including reports of one 'kill shot' to the back of the neck.

The US Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) later determined von Ackermann was killed in a botched kidnapping. As of February 2008, his body has not been found. The investigation into the death of Ryan Manelick remains open.

The descriptions below are for the Fall of 2003.

People

John Dawkins was the founder of Ultra Services, based out of Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to Ultra Services, he founded several companies in Central Asia and Russia, as well as working in Sakhalin in the Russian Far East. Married with two children. (photo ref)





Geoff Nordloh was the CFO of TFI International. TFI International, which fulfilled US Army contracts in Afghanistan, held a financial interest through a $50,000 investment in Ultra Services. For putting the company together, John Dawkins would be granted a 50% share through TFI in exchange for contributing his own “sweat equity” by being in Iraq. Nordloh was a former US Air Force officer. He never traveled to Iraq.



Mete Mutluoğlu was Dawkins' Turkish partner. Mutluoğlu was the owner of Microserve, a then inactive company registered in Turkey. Microserve agreed to change its name to Ultra Services for a 50–50 split in ownership: 50% of the shares would be owned by TFI International through its $50,000 investment; the other 50% of the shares would be owned by Mutluoglu. (photo ref)



Egeman Çakmak was one of three Turkish associates brought in by Mete Mutluoğlu. Çakmak worked in the Istanbul, Turkey office. (photo ref)







Hüseyin Gömleksizoğlu was one of three Turkish associates brought in by Mete Mutluoğlu. Part-time, Gömleksizoğlu was an IT specialist who maintained the company website. Gömleksizoğlu worked in the Istanbul, Turkey office. (photo ref)





Bora Tuncay was one of three Turkish associates brought in by Mete Mutluoğlu. Tuncay attended the meeting at Camp Anaconda on December 14, 2003. He was in a car returning to Turkey with Charles Phillips when they received the phone call that Ryan Manelick, in a second vehicle headed south to Baghdad, was killed. Tuncay worked in the Istanbul, Turkey office.




Albert 'Charles' Phillips went to Stanford Business School with Geoff Nordloh. Phillips was brought in by Nordloh to handle finance in the Istanbul office. Phillips was the son of a career military officer.

At the time von Ackermann disappeared, Charles Phillips was creating a new company, Irex Ltd, with Nordloh, von Ackermann, Çakmak and Tuncay. (photo ref)


Kirk von Ackermann was a manager. Charles Phillips brought in von Ackermann, a friend from his days at the software company, Siebel Systems.

Von Ackermann travelled between Turkey and Iraq. He spoke several languages and was a former US Air Force counter-terrorism intelligence officer. Married with three children. His family was making preliminary plans to move to Turkey when he disappeared on October 9, 2003.

Ryan Gregory Manelick was the son of a close friend of John Dawkins, Greg Manelick. Greg is credited with keeping attention on the case.

Ryan Manelick worked out of the Baghdad office coordinating on-site work at bases in Iraq--the 'heavy lifting.' He was a former US Air Force officer and spoke several languages. Divorced with three children. Shortly after leaving a meeting at Camp Anaconda on December 14, 2003, he was gunned down from a passing vehicle.

Additional Office Staff at Ultra Services included Abu Mazen, Guven Gurses, Necmettin and Macit.

Sanaria was a secretary in Ultra Services' Baghdad office.

Omar Taleb was John Dawkins security adviser (aka body guard). An official in the Iraqi police and a former helicopter pilot in the Iraqi Air Force.

Çuneyt Demirici was an employee of a Turkish supplier. He met with Kirk von Ackermann at FOB Pacesetter on the day he disappeared. Demirici lived in Baghdad at the time.

Safa Shukir was an Iraqi employee who received a phone call from Kirk von Ackermann that he was stranded in the Jabal Hamrin, his tire was flat and to bring a jack. Shukir arrived to find von Ackermann's car abandoned. He called John Dawkins from the location of the car, reaching him at a meeting in Tikrit.

Colin Freeman was an independent journalist from Great Britain working in Baghdad who first covered the story of the disappearance of Kirk von Ackermann. Little would be known today without Freeman's early reporting. Colin Freeman first got a ride into Iraq with Omar Hadi and John Dawkins. Of particular note: Ryan Manelick is an unidentified source quoted in Freeman's first article, Bay Area civilian vanishes in Iraq.

Majid (Mohammed) Kadom was Ryan Manelick's Iraqi assistant or 'fixer.' Part body guard, part translator, Kadom was a former Iraqi Staff Colonel. Kadom was first introduced to Manelick by Freeman.

Greg Manelick was Ryan Manelick's father. At the time of events in 2003, he was working for Exxon in Sakhalin. Greg introduced his son Ryan to John Dawkins whom he knew from the Russian Far East. At one point, the name, "Gregory Manelick," was listed on the ultra-services.com website.

Amanda Sprang was Greg Manelick's girlfriend. She was reported as expressing an interest in working for Ultra Services. At one point, her name was also listed on the ultra-services.com website.

Richard Galustian befriended Ryan Manelick in Iraq. He was a security adviser. Galustian later became Managing Director of ISI International, a private security company in Iraq. Manelick at one point told his father he was thinking of going into security with Galustian.

Omar Hadi was a British Iraqi who first gave John Dawkins and the journalist Colin Freeman a ride into Iraq from Jordan arriving on May 1, 2003. Hadi was described as a business associate of John Dawkins whom he had first met in Kazakhstan. Hadi stayed with Dawkins and Freeman at the Al Majalis Hotel in Baghdad. Omar Hadi and Richard Galustian eventually founded ISI Group of Iraq.

Unknown Iraqi Employee #1 was traveling with Ryan Manelick. He survived the attack.

Unknown Iraqi Employee #2 was traveling with Ryan Manelick. He died in the attack.

Aydin was the hired driver for the car with Bora Tuncay and Charles Phillips. He was reported as translating the shouting Arabic voices heard on Phillips satellite phone, "Ryan is dead!"

Baki Güzelçiftçi was at one point listed on the ultra-services.com website as the Chairman of the Board, having joined Ultra Services in December 2003. He owned a company that was said to be interested in manufacturing the demountable guard shack first designed by Kirk von Ackermann and his wife, Megan.

Major Rich Hall was a US Army contracting officer in Tikrit. Hall signed the majority of Ultra Services contracts.

Captain Tyr Brenner was a US Air Force contracting officer in Tikrit.

Captain Richard Otton was a US Air Force contracting officer in Tikrit.

Lt. Colonel Steven Russell was a battalion commander in the 4th Infantry Division (ID) under whose jurisdiction the investigation first fell. The investigation was later transferred to the US Army Criminal Investigation Division (HQCID) Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU) headquartered in Belvoir, Virginia.

Colonel Ismael Abdullah Jassim was the Baiji police commander who first led area searches in the days immediately after the disappearance of Kirk von Ackermann. According to Colin Freeman, Col. Jassim left his post one month after the incident without briefing his successor.

Lt. Muhamad Abdullah Jassim was Jassim's deputy. He accompanied patrols through the area, giving out photos of Kirk von Ackermann to tribal leaders.

Robert McNally agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, lead investigator. Retired.

Stephen Grant former Commander of the 286th Military Police Detachment. Took over the investigation from Robert McNally.

David Allen director of the Major Procurement Fraud Unit.

Thomas Wilkin agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command with Procurement Fraud.

James Scheel agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command with Procurement Fraud.

Ferdinand Vazquez agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command with Procurement Fraud.

David Balwinski agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

David W. Jenkins agent with U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

Unidentified Junior Agent (female) of Fort Bliss, TX.

Places

FOB Pacesetter was an isolated air base north of Balad and east of the Tigris River, also known as Samarra East Air Base. It was later renamed FOB McKenzie. In December 2003, FOB Pacesetter became the initial headquarters for the new Stryker Brigade. The region surrounding the base is flat, described as 'windy, muddy, dreary.'

Camp Anaconda at Balad Air Base, later renamed FSA Anaconda then Joint Base Balad, was one of the largest air bases in Iraq. Anaconda is just south of Balad and just west of the Tigris River. Depending on the route driven, Anaconda is about 20-25 miles from FOB Pacesetter. In 2008, LSA Anaconda was reported as 'the busiest air base in the world operated by the Pentagon' and 'the second busiest airport in the world.' (ref)

Addujayal, Iraq listed by the US State Department as the location of a Death of U.S. Citizens Abroad in its annual report. The date matches that of Ryan Manelick's death. Found on maps as al Dujail, a small community just outside Camp Anaconda along Highway 1, the route on which Ryan Manelick was traveling when killed in a drive-by shooting. (ref)

Jabal Hamrin mountains form a ridge between the cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk. It's a sparsely populated area. Driving from Tikrit to Kirkuk, it's described as 'about 65 miles' and taking about '2 hours, 45 minutes' one way. Kirk von Ackermann described the ridgeline as the most dangerous part of the journey between Tikrit and Kirkuk. His car would later be discovered abandoned there.

Al Majalis was a hotel in Baghdad. John Dawkins, Colin Freeman and Omar Hadi stayed at this hotel when they first arrived in Iraq.

Al Hamra was a hotel in Baghdad. Frequented by journalists and contractors who would hang out around the pool at night.

Note: this post will occasionally be updated as new information becomes available. Corrections welcome.

Still Missing

The Missing Man is three years old. I just wanted to take a moment to draw attention to some of the Americans known to be still missing in Iraq today.

American Hostages in Iraq

Kirk von Ackermann missing since October 9, 2003

Timothy Bell missing since April 9, 2004

SSG Keith Maupin kidnapped on April 9, 2004

Aban Elias kidnapped on May 3, 2004

Radim Sadeq Mohammed Sadeq also known as "Dean Sadek", kidnapped on November 2, 2004

Jeffrey Ake kidnapped on April 11, 2005

Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie kidnapped on October 23, 2006

Paul Johnson Reuben kidnapped on November 16, 2006

Jonathon Cote kidnapped on November 16, 2006

Joshua Munz kidnapped on November 16, 2006

John Roy Young kidnapped on November 16, 2006

Ronald Withrow kidnapped on January 5, 2007

Military Bases in North East Iraq

The map below concentrates on military bases throughout North East Iraq in 2003. If anyone has any information on the general location of semi permanent checkpoints/road blocks during the Fall of 2003, please email me. Thank you.



About the Map

(A) Kirk von Ackermann left a meeting at FOB Pacesetter on October 9, 2003.
(B) His car was found later that day in the Jabal Hamrin mountains not long after he called an Iraqi employee to report a flat tire.
(C) His colleague, Ryan Manelick, was gunned down shortly after leaving a meeting at Camp Anaconda on December 14, 2003.

Both men worked for the same contractor, Ultra Services, of Istanbul, Turkey.

Suggestion: right click and open the map in a new window.

Map of the region in North East Iraq showing Balad to the south - Baiji to the north - Kirkuk to the north east

KEY

A - FOB Pacesetter
B - Jabal Hamrin - von Ackermann's abandoned car
C - Camp Anaconda

Circles - towns/cities known to have military bases.
Red Dots - locations of known bases, camps, stations or posts.

Names as used Fall 2003. Alternatives are shown in (parentheses)

For the most part, the military bases are located in the Salahuddin (also known as Salahuddin, Salahaddin, etc) and Ta'mim governates. Future redistricting of Iraq's governates is quite possible due to the dislocation and movement of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen throughout the region.

There's quite a bit of conflicting information, some of which is the result of identifying a town without the name of its governate. (By way of an example: identifying a town solely with the name Springfield. Springfield, Illinois is not the same place as Springfield, Massachusetts) I've included the governates with town/city names. Anyone researching bases should carefully verify information. Please don't take my word for it.

Kirkuk, Ta'mim (also known as At-Ta'mim)

Kirkuk - north
Camp Dibis or Dibbs (ref)
Kirkuk Army Base (ref)

Kirkuk - south
FOB Gain's Mills (ref)
PB Millet (ref)

Kirkuk - west
Kirkuk Air Base (KRAB) (ref)
Camp Renegade (ref)
FOB Warrior (ref)
Krabtown (ref)

Tawuq, Ta'mim (also known as Daquq, Tawud, Tauq, Tauk and Tavuk)

Tal Ashtah New (Tal Ashtah Airbase) (ref)
FOB Daquq (FOB Grant) (ref)
Daquq JCC (ref)

Tuz Khurmatu, Ta'mim (also known as Toz, Khormato, Khurmato)

Tuz Khurmatu (Tuz Khurmatu Airbase, Al Tuz Airfield) (ref)
FOB Bernstein (ref)

Sarha, Ta'mim

A checkpoint believed to be Echo Four Checkpoint (ref)

A tactical checkpoint, Echo Four, was set up 35 miles south of Tuz by Alpha Company in an effort to prevent such ambushes, and keep the guerilla fighters in Southern Iraq. A platoon of soldiers was manning Echo Four when it came under a massive coordinated attack.

Abu Ghurayb, Ta'mim (also known as Ghraib)

Camp Vigilant Compound (ref)
Camp Ganci (ref)
Abu Ghurayb Prison (Baghdad Central Detention Center) (ref)
Camp Avalanche (Camp Redemption) (ref)

There is a second Abu Ghurayb located near Baghdad. It is not shown on this map but for the sake of clarity, the following bases can be found there.

Abu Ghurayb
Cobra Base
FOB victory
Camp Victory North
Camp al-Nasr
Camp al-Tareer
Camp Blackjack
Camp Liberty
FOB Constitution (ref)

Chay Khanah, Diyala (also known as Chai) Injanah?

Name unknown - approximate location of an Iraqi Air Base known as Injanah

Hawijah, Diyala

Name unknown

Balad, Salahuddin (also known as Salah ad-Din, etc)

Balad
FOB Eagle (Camp Paliwoda) (ref)

Balad Airbase (ref)
Camp Anaconda (ref)
FOB Lion (FOB O'Ryan) (ref
Camp Balad ref)
FOB Carpenter (FOB Wyatt) (ref)

Balad - south near Ad Dujayi
FOB Omaha (FOB Vanguard) (ref)

Samarra, Salahuddin

Samarra' East Airbase / Al Bakr Airfield (ref)
FOB Pacesetter (renamed FOB McKenzie) (ref)

Samarra' - north
Camp Brassfield-Mora (ref)
Camp Daniels (PB Casino, PB Olsen, PB Razor, PB Uvanni) (ref)
FOB 7 - Iraqi Army (ref)

Samarra' - central
Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC) (ref)

Ad Dawr, Salahuddin (also known as Adwar)

Camp Arrow (FOB Wilson) (ref)

Tikrit, Salahuddin (also known as Takrit, Tekrit)

Tikrit - North (Al Sahra Airfield)
Camp Sycamore (FOB Speicher) (ref)
Arlington Captured Enemy Ammunition (CEA) Depot (ref)

Tikrit - East (Tikrit Airbase - East) (ref)
Former Iraqi Airbase

Tikrit - South (Tikrit Airfield - South) (ref)
Camp Cougar (Camp Packhorse renamed FOB Remagen) (ref)

Tikrit Presidential Palace
Camp Ironhorse (renamed FOB Danger) (ref)
Camp Raider (renamed FOB Dagger) (ref)

Baiji, Salahuddin (also known as Beiji, Bayji, Baji)

K-2 Airbase (ref)
Camp Lancer (ref)
FOB Tinderbox (ref)
FOB Stoddard (FOB Summerall) (ref)

Al-Fatha, Ta'mim (Al Fathah)

Name unknown - approximate location of an Iraqi Air Base

Hawijah, Ta'mim

FOB McHenry (ref)
Battle Point 1 (ref)
PB Baker (ref)

Reference Maps

BBC: Air Bases
Assorted Maps of Iraq
NY Times: US Bases in Iraq
Iraq Facilities
Stars & Stripes: Map of US Bases in Iraq
Iraqi Airfields
Airfields Pre-Iraq War
Bases - scroll down for resources

Glossary

Below is an attempt to clarify some of the military jargon. Corrections and additions are more than welcome.

In general: Base, Post, Camp, or Station.

MOB - Main Operations Base

Main Operations Base for joint forces provides sustained command and control, administration, and logistical support to special operations activities in designated areas. (ref)

COB - Contingency Operating Base

Contingency Operating Base is a brigade-size combat team plus aviation units and other support personnel. COB replaced the term, "enduring bases," which carried a connotation of a permanent US military presence in Iraq, in 2005. (ref)

LSA - Logistics Support Area

Logistics Support Area supports all surrounding FOB with personnel, equipment, and logistics support.(ref)

FOB - Forward Operating Base

A forward operating base is any semi-permanent secured forward position used to launch and support sustained tactical operations. (ref)

PB - Patrol Base

A Patrol Base is significantly smaller than a FOB and is usually occupied by a company or platoon size element, whereas a FOB may house a brigade. Less than five percent of the units in Iraq operated from patrol bases. (ref)

CMOC - Civil Military Operations Center

Civil Military Operations Center assist in the coordination of activities of engaged military forces, and other United States Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and regional and international organizations. There is no established structure. Size and composition are situation dependent. (ref)

Camp - Camp

A Camp supports US Army combat operations. In 2005, many of the Camps were renamed using FOB.

CoP - Combat Outpost

is a fortified position that provides logistical support to combat patrols. CoP may have less than 200 personnel.

Additional reading:

Glossary of military terms from militaryterms.info

Base Camp Design for Operations Other Than War (OOTW) A theoretical project for Systems Engineers which provides a good overview about basic 'base' functions.

The Tikrit & Kirkuk Road

Kirk von Ackermann's car was discovered abandoned on October 9, 2003 in the Jabal Hamrin mountains. The approximate location was given as Latitude North 34 Degrees 54’ 16.998” Longitude East 43 Degrees 57’ 45.836” (34 54.169 - 43 57.458) at an altitude of 232 meters.

Driving, it's about 25 miles outside of Tikrit.


View Larger Map

There are a few video clips of the area online, both shot from helicopters.

Crossing Ridgeline In Iraq by galtcitycouncil

Video from my tour in Iraq in 2005. This shows us crossing a mountain ridgeline heading for Kirkuk from Tikrit. Notice that Iraq is very green during the spring. Also, most people forget Iraq has many mountains in the north.

I really wish there was just a little bit more to this next clip as it ends just as the hills begin to rise.

Chopper Ride departing FOB Danger - Tikrit by Eric

Just a quick clip of an airlift from FOB Danger in Tikrit en route to FOB Warrior in Kirkuk.

There are numerous news reports of check points, patrols and convoys along the road between Tikrit and Kirkuk. The first gives an idea of how long it takes a convoy to move through the area.

Soldiers Keep Their Eyes on the Road During Combat Logistics Patrols in Iraq
By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes, Mideast Edition March 7, 2005

Tuesday's convoy was typical, it ran from Tikrit to Kirkuk and back, about 65 miles and 2 hours, 45 minutes each way.

The route snaked through downtown Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, and moved out onto a crusty two-lane road dubbed IED Alley for its history of roadside bombs that have been placed there. [...]

The convoy leaves Tikrit and enters a barren land of dirt and rocks, hills and crevices and the occasional sheep farmer.

The area has had its own share of power struggles both political and criminal.

Tensions boil over between Kurds and Arabs
By Patrick Cockburn, Independent, April 14, 2003

At least eight people were killed in gun battles between Iraqi Kurds and Arab tribes south of Kirkuk yesterday as Arabs in northern Iraq become increasingly nervous of the Kurdish advance south.

The fighting was around the town of Hawi Jah on the road between the Iraqi oil centre of Kirkuk and the city of Tikrit.

"It has been chaos. The Kurds are here to steal, and have killed some of our people while trying to rob them on the road," said one leader of the al-Obaid tribe. Arabs said five people were killed in the clashes while the peshmerga said three of their number were killed.

In The North, Fear And Hate
By Borzou Daraghi, Columbia Journalism Review, May-June 2003

Muhammad and Tahseen had helped me explore the back roads and smugglers' routes in the no-man's-land surrounding government-controlled Kirkuk. Antiaircraft tracers lit up my driver's face as he watched the coalition's nighttime bombing raids over that city, his hometown, and the Kurds' lost dream city. On April 10, we gunned it in a convoy behind Kurdish pesh merga and United States Special Forces as they stormed Khaneqin, a Baghdad-controlled city to the south of the autonomous Kurdish area, soaking up the adulation of residents welcoming us to their newly liberated town. We sped through the desert past miles of abandoned Iraqi military positions and deserting Iraqi soldiers on our way to Kirkuk.

But those were all in Kurdistan. Now we were in Arabia, and my driver and translator were like fish out of water. All day long on the drive to Tikrit they had complained and fretted and resisted. They weren't unique. Two journalists from NBC had to fire one of their drivers midway to Tikrit because he refused to go any further.

But leaving Kevin behind was an altogether different story. "Stop the car, you coward!" I yelled at Muhammad. "Go back now! I'm not going to leave Kevin behind."

As if waking up from a trance, he finally began to slow down. We turned around and went back to get the photographer. We found him putt-putting along at five miles an hour in his ailing car. He was very glad to see us.

Kevin's Kurdish driver, Adnan, had raced his engine and clogged up the carburetor of his Nissan. Kevin said a nice Arab taxi driver had offered to help, but Adnan contemptuously shooed him away. He said he didn't believe any Arab could fix his car.

More...

Jabal Hamrin and Jabal Makhul

A quick note on spellings: Arabic to English translation is partially based on sound. As a result, there are almost always spelling variations for even the most common names. (See Lost in Translation) Variations of Jabal Hamrin include any combination of: Djebel, Djbel, Jabul, Jebel, Hamrain, Hamrayn, Hamryn, Hemrin, Himreen, Himrin, Humreen, Humrin, etc.


Patrol near Bayji, Iraq submitted by CW4 Alexis Geacintov for the 2008 Calendar of Stars and Stripes. Addendum: Alex Geacintov has a website of his photographs - please be sure to check it out.

Bay Area civilian vanishes in Iraq
By Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, November 11, 2003

In the town of Baiji, where his disappearance was originally reported, the main police station had only passing knowledge of the situation. Col. Ismael Abdullah Jassim, the commander who led searches in the days immediately after the disappearance, left his post last month and did not brief his replacement on the details.

Lt. Muhamad Abdullah Jassim, one of Col. Jassim's deputies, said: "We took one of Mr. von Ackermann's colleagues out on a patrol to search for him and gave copies of photos of Mr. von Ackermann to local tribal leaders. Then we went out again just on our own. So far, we have heard nothing."

The Tigris River bisects a mountain range as it passes through a gorge near Bayji in Iraq. The pass is known as the al-Fatha Gorge or The Aperture. There's a very dramatic flyover view of the gorge here about 3/4 of the way down the page. It's well-worth the click. The mountains rise to about 1200 feet from the Tigris River basin.

Below is a satellite image from Google. Included are markers for FOB Pacesetter in the south, Tikrit, Bayji, al-Fatha Gorge, Kirkuk, as well as a mid-point for the road between Tikrit and Kirkuk.


View Larger Map

If you'd like to see the satellite image in 3D, consider downloading and playing around with Google Earth.

Jabal Makhul

From the al-Fatha Gorge, the northern ridge just west of the Tigris is known as the Jabal Makhul. Jabal means mountain. According to one scholar (ref), Makhul means 'kohl colored.' Kohl was once commonly used to make eyeliner as well as to darken the area under the eyes to protect from the glare of the sun. (Also Mak Hull, Makhal, Makol, Makul, Mokhul, etc)

During the 1980's, Saddam Hussein built an underground oil refinery in the Presidential Palace located in the Jabal Makhul. Baby Babylon, a 350 mm. supergun, was stationed in the mountains during the Iraq/Iran War. It was reported dismantled by the UN after Gulf War I (ref).

The Jabal Makhul Presidential Palace featured prominently in theories and rumors of illegal weapon programs. A number of 'experts' insisted secret tunnels criss crossed the area hiding everything from blue prints to nuclear weapons. Initially, UNSCOM inspectors found water. Beginning in the late 1990s, a number of Iraqi defectors stepped forward to inspectors with additional allegations. Former UNSCOM inspector Scott Ritter shed a fair amount of ink on Jabal Hamrin in his book Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein. No weapons of mass destruction were found.

The 'tunnels' of Jabal Makhul made news again in 2006 when fires from low grade black oil were lit near Bayji. The massive plumes of smoke were visible by satellite.


Waste Oil Dumps Threaten Towns in Northern Iraq
By James Glanz, New York Times, June 19, 2006

...in 1992, Iraqi engineers began drilling deep holes into Makhul, said Adnan Sammaraie, an Iraqi engineer who was then an Oil Ministry official and worked on the plans for the project.

The idea was to pump black oil and other refinery byproducts inside the mountains, where countless miles of cracks, caves and fissures could in theory contain almost limitless volumes, Sammaraie said. But the system was improperly monitored and it malfunctioned almost immediately, coughing up black oil and other polluted wastes and pouring them over the mountain range.

Engineers shut Makhul down, not for environmental reasons per se, but rather out of fear that the seeping oil would reach the Tigris and flow downstream toward the town of Auja, which sits on the riverbanks near Tikrit, Saddam's home. "Everyone was scared to death," Sammaraie said.

Jabal Hamrin

From the al-Fatha Gorge, the southern ridge east of the Tigris River is known as the Jabal Hamrin or 'Reddish Mountain' (ref). The ridge forms the border between the provinces (governates) of At Ta'mim and Salah ad Din.

Two injured in Tikrit army base blast
Thomas Crosbie Media, October 12, 2003

A US Army spokesman has confirmed a report earlier in the week of an American contractor who went missing by the Jabal Hamrin mountain ridge on the road north to Kirkuk.

The contractor, whose name and company were not released, had phoned in to report a flat tire but when assistance arrived at the scene, only the contractor's car and some personal items were found.

The Jabal Hamrin is sparsely populated with small villages, population approximately 100 people per square mile.

One ancient name for Jabal Hamrin was Barimma (ref - p 660) or Temple of Rimmon (Syrian pagan god of thunder). Sumerian scholars believe Jabal Hamrin is the Mount Ebih in the myth, Inanna and Ebih. The Sumerian myths are some of the oldest known writings of literature in the world (ref).

Art Lecture: From Here to Sumeria
By Leila Kubba, October 05, 2004

At that time, the most famous goddess was Inanna. Inanna, queen of heaven and earth. Inanna, lady of the largest heart. I became absolutely fascinated with Inanna, because there were so many translations of her life and she was so important in Sumerian times, and then went on to become – in Babylonian times, she became Ishtar, and eventually Venus. But at that time, in Sumerian times, she was not only the goddess of love, she was the queen of heaven. She was called both the first daughter of the moon and the morning and evening star, which is the planet Venus. So I guess her role was diminished as time went on.

She is the Sumerian version of a personification of the whole of reality. Inanna is a complex and paradoxical goddess that mirrors a wide range of characteristics, whose nature is both dark and light. A passage from the poem "Inanna and Ebih" – Ebih is Jebel Hamrin, which is towards the north of Iraq. It is the story of a conflict between the goddess and a defiant mountain. Ultimately, Inanna triumphs over Ebih. By challenging Ebih, she challenges nature and tries to dominate nature. Here she represents the human race, who are then becoming farmers or conquerors of the natural earth.

Here is when she talks to the mountain. She was very sure of herself and very arrogant. You can imagine this Inanna standing in front of this huge mountain.

I, the lady, came near, and the mountain did not fear, did not tremble of its own accord, nor wipe its nose on the ground. Even the Holy Anuna [the council of the gods] stand in awe of me. Listen! I, the lady, came near and the mountain did not fear.

I realize this is a bit off track from what I usually post here at the Missing Man but felt the myth of Inanna and Ebih captured a presence in the Jabal Hamrin that satellite photos can only hint at.

Additional reading:
Sumerian Myths by Michael Webster
Sumerian Mythology by Christopher Siren
Sumerian Mythology by Samuel Noah Kramer
Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart by Betty De Shong Meador
Encyclopedia of Islam by EJ Brill


Coming soon: a map of the region showing American bases and camps that were active in the fall of 2003.

FOB Pacesetter

In the last few posts, I asked several questions about what to me seemed like odd choices that Kirk von Ackermann made shortly before he disappeared. This post looks at the area surrounding the last base he visited for context.

Excerpt from Death of a Contractor

On October 9th, not long after he and Phillips tried to take half of Ultra Services from Dawkins and create a rival company, Kirk von Ackermann visited FOB McKenzie, a U.S. forward operating base near Samarra. After meeting with a Turkish subcontractor, he left the base behind the wheel of his Nissan Patrol SUV. He was alone.

Prior to December of 2003, Forward Operating Base (FOB) McKenzie was known as FOB Pacesetter.


An aerial photo of FOB Pacesetter originally posted online at webshots.com by a member of the US Army, kinard_r.

Map inset showing the general location of Pacesetter originally published in the New York Times on December 29, 2003.

FOB Pacesetter was home to an artillery battalion of the 4th Infantry Division. The base has also been referred to as Camp Pacesetter, Samarra East Air Base and/or Al Bakr Airfield. Pacesetter is probably most notable as the first home of the Stryker Brigade in December 2003 (ref). The region immediately surrounding the base is flat and dry and quickly changes to mud under winter rains.

Interview with MAJ Deverick Jenkins
Combat Studies Institute Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, February 21, 2007

JENKINS: We ended up on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Pacesetter and there was just an artillery battalion there. They were responsible for this entire airbase which was possible because it was a pretty wide open space. All you could see for miles was sand and farmers. It was pretty doable security wise. We did visit the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit one day to pick up commander’s emergency response program (CERP) funds and we were salivating at how good they had it. Of the month we were at FOB Pacesetter, we only had electricity in tents for about four days. We were there when Saddam was captured in December 2003. I spent my worst Christmas ever there.

Capsized in the canal
by Michael Gilbert, News Tribune, February 20, 2005

So many U.S. convoys had been attacked along the highway through Duluiyah that they’d taken to calling it Ambush Alley. A cemetery north of town was the suspected launch site for mortar and rocket attacks on the American camp at Saddam’s old air base nearby, dubbed Forward Operating Base Pacesetter by its new American occupants.

A field artillery battalion from the 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas, was the lone occupant at Pacesetter before the Strykers showed up. With a few hundred artillerymen, the battalion didn’t have the numbers to make a major push into Duluiyah. And the 4th I.D. was concentrating on problems elsewhere – Tikrit, Samarra and Balad.

Map of the region surrounding Samarra from Maps.com (see 'click here to zoom')

It's not clear which direction von Ackermann travelled after he left FOB Pacesetter.

To the north of FOB Pacesetter is the historic city of Samarra, population approx 300,000.

To the south of FOB Pacesetter is the city of Ad Duluiyah, population approx 50,000. It's about 20 miles between Ad Duluiyah and Samarra.

In 2003, a number of other small American bases were scattered through out the area: in Samarra - Camp Brassfield-Mora, Patrol Base Casino, Civil-Military Operations Center in Samarra; further south in Balad - Camp Anaconda, FOB Lion, Camp Balad, FOB Carpenter, FOB Omaha, FOB Eagle. Von Ackermann's colleague, Ryan Manelick, was killed shortly after leaving Anaconda for Baghdad.

Looking north of Samarra is the city of Tikrit, population approx 200,000, home to the tribe of Saddam Hussein. There were several American bases in Tikrit in 2003. To the south - Camp Packhorse (renamed FOB Remagen) and to the east - FOB Speicher. Inside the Tikrit Presidential Palace, Camp Ironhorse (renamed FOB Danger) and nearby Camp Raider (renamed FOB Dagger). Just south of Tikrit, Camp Arrow in the small city of Ad Dawr. Ad Dawr was where Hussein was captured in December 2003.

It is my understanding that John Dawkins was in a meeting at one of the bases in Tikrit when the call came through that von Ackermann was missing.

For more information on Pacesetter:

Global Security
Photos

If you know anyone who was stationed at FOB Pacesetter in the fall of 2003, please email me. I'd like to hear about access and restrictions getting on and off the base, local patrols, curfews and travel restrictions, etc.

Update - satellite photo of Balad

Northeast of Balad, on the other side of the river Tigris, you should be able to spot the air base.


View Larger Map

Safa Shukir & the Phone Call

Excerpt from Death of a Contractor

On October 9th, not long after he and Phillips tried to take half of Ultra Services from Dawkins and create a rival company, Kirk von Ackermann visited FOB McKenzie, a U.S. forward operating base near Samarra. After meeting with a Turkish subcontractor, he left the base behind the wheel of his Nissan Patrol SUV. He was alone.

A short time after leaving the base, von Ackermann called Safa Shukir, an Iraqi employee of Ultra Services, to say he had a flat tire and needed help. Shukir drove out to meet him at the mountain pass where he had pulled over. It was a dangerous place -- von Ackermann had warned his co-workers that it was an ideal site for an ambush. When Shukir arrived, forty-five minutes after von Ackermann called, he found the SUV on the side of the road, abandoned. There was no sign of struggle. Von Ackermann's laptop, his satellite phone and $40,000 in cash he had been carrying were still in the car. But there was no sign of von Ackermann.

Not much is known about Safa Shukir. More questions.

Why did von Ackermann call Safa Shukir?

How old is Shukir? Is he fluent in English? Did von Ackermann try to call any one else first? Did he call any one else after he spoke with Shukir? CID must have looked at his satellite phone service records but as far as I know, that information has never been divulged.

Why did von Ackermann choose to call an Iraqi employee instead of one of his contacts at the local US bases. Does that sound like a stretch? Von Ackermann was former US Army and US Air Force and, my understanding is, he wasn't shy about letting officers he was doing business with know his past experience. I understand he even crashed on base a couple of times when it got a little too late.

Why didn't he call someone at FOB McKenzie for help?

When I was a teenager, one of my best friends and I looked a lot alike. I'll call her Jane. Jane and I were both the same height. Same weight. Same color and length of hair -- although hers was a bit sleeker than mine. Jane and I dressed in the same brands of clothes, wore the same shoes. And I could do a great impression of Jane's voice and pattern of speech. One of Jane's favorite pranks was to have me call another close friend of ours and pretend to be Jane. We never got caught. I think I even fooled her mother once. Lots of giggles at the time... But today, those pranks make me wonder about Kirk's phone call to Safa Shukir.

Could Shukir recognize another American man's voice if that person identified themselves first as Kirk?

I don't doubt that someone made a phone call from Kirk von Ackermann's satellite phone to Safa Shukir and that Safa Shukir believed he was speaking with Kirk von Ackermann. But there's this little question in my mind -- could Shukir really recognize different American men's voices over the phone?

Car Photo

Continuing the thread of my last post on Kirk's Car. Photo of a 2003 Nissan Patrol SUV in Australia, similar to the car Kirk von Ackermann is reported to have been driving when he disappeared. Don't actually know which year or color but thought you'd like to see one for reference.

Kirk's Car

In my last post, I asked a relatively simple question, albeit one that's kept me awake on occasion: Where did Kirk von Ackermann get his car? The answer, it turns out, is far from simple.

According to the CID, Kirk bought that car in Iraq. Further than that I do not know. They also told me that the car he bought was supposedly the type that Iraqis think CIA agents drive (or that CIA agents actually do drive - can't tell which from my notes). This sounds odd to me as A. if it were true Kirk would know this and would not purchase the car and B. why on earth would the CIA drive consistent types of cars?

That doesn't make sense on so many levels, it's mind boggling. Kirk von Ackermann was a former Air Force Captain with extensive experience in counter-terrorism which required and demanded thinking like a terrorist. Why would he want a car that might be mistaken as belonging to the CIA?

Remember, von Ackermann was traveling for work in the Tikrit region. In the fall of 2003, Tikrit was awash with Americans looking for Saddam Hussein who was from nearby Ouja. It's a very safe assumption CIA personnel were in the area at that time. It simply defies logic that von Ackermann willingly bought a car with even a hint that an American might be inside let alone one that would identify him as CIA.

My second question is, for me, the dog that didn't bark. It's the one detail that has bothered me since the very first time I read Colin Freeman's first article: Why did von Ackermann leave his satellite phone in his car?

Why didn't von Ackermann take a more defensive position, take the satellite phone -- probably similar to a Thuraya with GPS -- and wait a safe distance a way from the car? That response would have been more consistent with his background and training as described in the blog entry: No One Left Behind.

From von Ackermann's family:

I can go one further - why did Kirk not drive on the flat tire to the checkpoint? Yes, the rim would be ruined and he wouldn't make great time but he would not be sitting stranded on an area of road he had himself identified as particularly dangerous.

To better understand the environment these decisions were made in, it would be helpful to reconstruct day to day life in Iraq in 2003.