Former Xe guards asked to leave Iraq

This makes me uncomfortable, assuming the following dots do in fact connect. On the one hand, if it brings Salomi home safely, that's great news for he and his family. However, the precendent sets up a political dynamic that could quickly spiral out of hand for foreign workers in Iraq.

What am I referring to?

Less than a week after the discovery of online video footage of American-Iraqi hostage, Issa Salomi, 250 former Blackwater (now Xe) security guards have been asked to leave Iraq. One of the kidnappers' demands, as presented by Salomi in the online video, was "the expulsion of former Blackwater security guards."

Iraq expels 250 ex-Blackwater staff
Al Jazeera, February 12, 2010
Making the announcement on Thursday, Jawad Bolani, the interior minister, said: "We have sent an order to 250 former Blackwater employees, who today are working with other security companies in Iraq, to leave the country in seven days and we have confiscated their residence permits.
"All of those concerned were notified four days ago and so they have three days to leave. This decision was made in connection with the crime that took place at Nisur Square."
Bolani was referring to an incident at the busy Baghdad square in September 2007, when five guards employed by Blackwater were accused of killing 14 unarmed Iraqis in a gun and grenade attack, and wounding 18 others.

The same group believed behind the kidnapping of Issa Salomi, The League of the Righteous, recently released another hostage from, Peter Moore of the UK. Three of his bodyguards are dead, one remains missing. Moore's release came just after a jailed political leader affiliated with the League of the Righteous was transferred to Iraqi control.

Iraq hostage Peter Moore arrives back in UK
BBC, January 1, 2010
The release was thought to be connected Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Asaib al-Haq, or the League of Righteousness, was transferred from US to Iraqi custody shortly before the release of Mr Moore.

Additional Reading
Iraq orders former Blackwater security guards out

By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Washington Post, February 11, 2010

Kidnapping of American in Iraq sparked by faltering reconciliation talks
By Jane Arraf, Christian Science Monitor, February 11, 2010

Issa Salomi, a linguist working on an Army project to map tribal structures, was seized on January 23 while visiting relatives in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad, according to the US military. A Shiite extremist group, The League of the Righteous, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, (AAH) last week released a video of Mr. Salomi dressed in a US Army uniform and calling for the release of insurgents who fought American forces - and the expulsion of former Blackwater security guards.

18 Americans Missing in Iraq - February 2010

According to a new article out tonight, including the latest kidnapping victim, Issa T. Salomi, there are 18 Americans currently missing in Iraq.

That number increases to 21 if 3 hikers, currently detained, who crossed over the border into Iran are included. Of the 18, 2 are American service members (1 of whom would be Sgt. al-Taayie). An other article in the Washington Post states that Salomi's kidnapping is the first since the summer of 2008.

I am only aware of the names of 7 missing Americans:

Kirk von Ackermann (2003)
Timothy E. Bell (2004)
Aban Elias (2004)
Dean Sadek (2004)
Jeffrey Ake (2005)
Sgt. Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie (2006)

Issa T. Salomi (2010)

Attached is a chart showing the incident date, name and status of those missing. Technically, the status of 'released' should more properly be referred to as 'Returned to Military Control' (RMC).

As mentioned in a previous post, there is good reason to believe there are more Americans missing in Iraq than those who have been reported. Employers and family members may choose to keep quiet for a number of reasons (ransom, etc). Just to be clear, 41 is the minimum number of those reported to have been kidnapped in Iraq to date.

Not included in the chart (at this time) are the troops taken POW (status: missing) during the invasion of March 2003. All were Returned to Military Control:

Spc. Edgar Hernandez
Spc. Joseph Hudson
Spc. Shoshana Johnson
Pfc. Patrick Miller
Sgt. James Riley
Pfc. Jessica Lynch
Chief warrant officer David Williams
Chief warrant officer Ronald Young Jr.

Missing Navy pilot Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, killed during Gulf War I, is also not included. (Speicher's remains were recently recovered).

The Washington Post article goes on to describe yet another hostage group, this time referred to as a US-Iraq Personnel Recovery Division. (see previous posts on the Hostage Working Group aka Office of Hostage Affairs) Pardon my cynicism, but perhaps the US government should consider establishing a permanent hostage recovery office not subject to regular name changes.

They search if someone’s missing in Iraq
By Scott Fontaine, The News Tribune, February 8, 2010

“The search never stops,” Lt. Col. Patrick Wright, the outgoing director of the U.S. Forces-Iraq personnel recovery division, said during an interview last month from Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace, the headquarters of the American military in Iraq. “If someone’s missing, someone’s looking for them.”

Officials confirm kidnapping of U.S. contractor in Iraq
By Ernesto Londoño and Leila Fadel, Washington Post, February 6, 2010

The abduction of contractor Issa T. Salomi, 60, of El Cajon, Calif., marks the first reported kidnapping of an American in Iraq since the summer of 2008.

Related posts

American Missing in Iraq - November 2009
November 1, 2009

Click the tag 'missing' for more information.

Salomi and al-Taayie

Update on Issa Salomi from Reuters also includes new information on an American hostage missing since 2006.

Iraq group says it has kidnapped U.S. contractor
By Suadad al-Salhy, Reuters, February 6, 2010

A senior leader of Shi'ite militia Asaib al-Haq, or Leagues of Righteousness, said the abducted contractor, whom he did not name, was seized because the government was not keeping a promise to free Asaib al-Haq supporters from prison.

Such a deal was widely believed to have been behind the release by the same group of British computer programer Peter Moore in December after 2-1/2 years in captivity, despite Iraqi and British government denials of a link.

"The government is carrying out many violations against us," the militant leader told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

The Reuters article also includes new information on US Army linguist, Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie (also Ahmed K. Altaie) of Ann-Arbor, Michigan kidnapped on October 23, 2006. Al-Taayie was last seen alive when a proof of life video was released by his captors on February 14, 2007.

The Asaib al-Haq leader said his group was also negotiating with the Iraqi government over the handover of the body of a U.S. contractor kidnapped and killed in 2006 by another group.

He said his group had received the body of the contractor, identified as Ahmed Qusay al-Taie, from the other militant organization and would release it once it received an assurance from his wife that she would not sue Asaib al-Haq.

Update - more on the status of al-Taayie from another news story

Iraqi Shiite group says holding two Americans

AFP, February 7, 2010

The second American could be US army Sergeant Ahmed Qusai al-Taie, also of Iraqi origin, who was reported missing on October 23, 2006.

An undated and soundless video of him appeared on the US television network CNN in February the following year having first been posted on the Internet by the League of the Righteous.

Taie left the heavily-guarded international "Green Zone" in Baghdad without his superiors' permission to visit close relatives at a family home in Karrada.

Local media later reported that [al-Taayie] was killed but there has been no official confirmation.

The following information is from a previous post, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, September 19, 2008

Spc. Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie (also Ahmed K. Altaie) of Ann-Arbor, Michigan was kidnapped on October 23, 2006

41-year-old Specialist in the US Army. Altaie is a linguist (translator) with the Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad. Married. Altaie was kidnapped with his brother-in-law when he went to visit his wife in Baghdad. His brother-in-law was quickly freed. A ransom demand was made for $250,000. Altaie has not been heard from since a proof of life video was released by his captors on February 14, 2007.

A Ransom Demand for the Missing U.S. Soldier
By Brian Bennett, Time, November 2, 2006

Abducted Altaie Seen in Video - with updates
AII POW-MIA, February 14, 2007

al-Taayie
Wikipedia, includes additional sources

Photo(s) were found publicly displayed on the web and are intended as "fair use" under Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. Please email me if you'd like a photo removed, changed, or added.

Contractor Kidnapped in Iraq

News report that Issa Salomi, 59, of El Cajon, California, has been kidnapped in Iraq. An Iraqi-American with dual citizenship, Salomi disappeared in Baghdad on January 23, 2010.

As of this evening, there are very few news stories on the kidnapping. A San Diego news station, KFMB, has video of Salomi from an Iraqi website. In the video, Salomi states he is being treated well, and makes several demands for his kidnappers.

El Cajon Man Kidnapped in Iraq

KFMB, February 5, 2010

Sincere wishes for his safe return to family and friends.

Buried at Sundance

A new film, Buried, featuring an American contractor held hostage in Iraq screened at the Sundance Film Festival. For the entire film, the contractor, Paul Conroy, (played by actor Ryan Reynolds) is trapped in a coffin. Lionsgate picked up the film for distribution. Critics are hailing the film as brilliant.

Slashfilm has clips.

Buried Teaser Trailer and Clip: Will Ryan Reynolds Shine Underground?
By Russ Fischer, /Film, January 20, 2010

Sundance synopsis at IMDB:

U.S. contractor working in Iraq awakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap

Credits

Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Writer: Chris Sparling
Director of Photography: Eduard Grau
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ivana Mino, and Anne Lockhart, Stephen Tobolowsky

Interview with actor, Ryan Reynolds, and a short article on the film at Vanity Fair.

Buried: Ryan Reynolds's Break-Out (or Not!) Role
by Eric Kohn, Vanity Fair, February 1, 2010

At least six American men are known to still be missing in Iraq:

Kirk von Ackermann (2003)
Timothy E. Bell (2004)
Aban Elias (2004)
Dean Sadek (2004)
Jeffrey Ake (2005)
Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie (2006)

1459 Civilian Contractors Have Died in Iraq

Iraq: Key figures since the war began
By The Associated Press, Washington Post, February 1, 2010

Deaths of civilian employees of U.S. government contractors as of December 31, 2009: 1,459

The article doesn't include information on kidnappings and/or missing Americans.

Aerial Surveillance Footage

Did any of the more than 500 unmanned aerial vehicles operating in Iraq back in 2003 capture video footage of either of the SUV's driven by Kirk von Ackermann or Ryan Manelick?

Kirk von Ackermann disappeared on one of only three major routes between Tikrit and Kirkuk. Tikrit was, of course, the home of Saddam Hussein's tribe, who at the time was still at large in Iraq and suspected of being in the Tikrit area.

In both Afghanistan and Iraq, the Predator system is being used to assist the ground commander in a number of missions. One of the most visible is its use in the hunting and targeting of high value targets (HVT). The Predator gives the commander a persistent long loiter capability in order to keep suspected HVT hide-sites under constant surveillance. Such coverage assists the ground commander in planning their attack. Avenues of approach and terrain can be evaluated and studied right up until the time of the attack without tipping off the enemy that they are under surveillance.

Ryan Manelick was killed in a drive-by shooting shortly after leaving Camp Anaconda on Route 1, the transit route to Baghdad.

Our [USAF security forces] troops are currently using the Desert Hawk’s electro-optical and infrared sensors to provide them “eyes” outside the fence line around bases in the [Area of Responsibility]. This extended look is helping us leverage air base ground defense assets in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Excerpts above from:

Testimony of Lieutenant General Walter E. Bucanan III
Commander, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Air Forces
Commander, Ninth Air Force
Before the House Armed Services Committee
United States House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces

Regarding Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

March 17, 2004

More reading:

U.S. Drones Crowding the Skies to Fight Insurgents in Iraq
By Eric Schmitt, New York Times, April 5, 2005

Questions for John Dawkins

Seems like I am forever putting together lists of questions. Well, here's what I'd like to ask John Dawkins, one of the principals at Ultra Services back in 2003.

1. How well did Safa Shukir speak and understand English? (Kirk von Ackermann was said to have called Shukir for help with a bad tire. When Shukir arrived, he was reported to have called Dawkins to tell him about finding von Ackermann's abandoned vehicle.)
2. Likelihood of Dawkins traveling alone on the road between Kirkuk and Tikrit?
3. What is Dawkins' version of the story of receiving warning shots when driving up to a military gate too quickly with Charles Phillips in the car?
4. Where did the incident happen and when?
5. Did Ryan Manelick help Kirk von Ackermann buy his vehicle?
6. Where did von Ackermann pick the vehicle up from?
7. What was the job offer that Dawkins made to von Ackermann?
8. What was satellite service like at the time - how clear and fast were connections?
9. How often did Ryan Manelick travel from Baghdad to Anaconda?
10. Did Ultra Services have temporary 'field offices' on project sites in Iraq and if yes, where, and what were they like?

Reading

Iraq hostage Peter Moore arrives back in UK
BBC January 1, 2010

Iraq hostage Peter Moore is now home in the United Kingdom. Still no word on the last missing security guard, Alan McMenemy, 34, from Glasgow, Scotland who was also kidnapped at the time with Moore.

Three-part series from the Salt Lake Tribune on the open air Burn Pits operating at US bases in Iraq.

The satellite image to the left shows the burn pit at Anaconda (now known as Joint Base Balad) in October 2009. It is from Google maps - see the link in the right hand side bar.

According to the Army Times, in 2008, 'Balad’s average daily output of almost 250 tons of waste is three times higher than the average of 83 tons per day generated by the city of Juneau, Alaska, which has a comparable population [of 25,000].'

One of the theories I've put forth is that Kirk von Ackermann was killed on a US base and his body disposed of in a burn pit. The most likely candidate is Camp Anaconda near where Ryan Manelick was killed just two months later. As far as I know, investigations have never pursued the theory.

Part I: Government waits for proof - sometimes for decades - before caring for sick veterans
By Matthew D. LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribun, January 15, 2010

The VA requires former service members to prove an illness was caused by military service.

Part II: Vets: Burn pits are killing us
By Matthew D. LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune, January 15, 2010

Sickened warriors searching for help will have to wait for science and government bureaucracy to link their conditions to their service.

Part III: Vets say toxic tests sickened them; government says prove it
By Matthew D. LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune, January 15, 2010

Army says it used 'voluntary human subjects,' but ill man says 'I was private first class, I did anything they told me to do.'

Also see:

Burn pit at Balad raises health concerns
By Kelly Kennedy, Army Times, October 29, 2008

Troops say chemicals and medical waste burned at base are making them sick, but officials deny risk.

T. Christian Miller on Fresh Air

Journalist T. Christian Miller was recently interviewed by Terry Gross for NPR's Fresh Air where he discussed contractors and their fight for care. Fingers crossed that issues surrounding implementation of the Defense Base Act are finally getting braoder public attention.

Wounded In Wars, Civilians Face Care Battle At Home
NPR, January 11, 2010

Miller, who wrote the book Blood Money: Wasted Billions, Lost Lives and Corporate Greed in Iraq, joins Fresh Air for a conversation about the battles these civilians face to get surgery, psychological counseling and even prosthetics — and explains the ins and outs of the laws and policies governing who's responsible for their predicament.

At ProPublica, read Miller's ongoing series, Disposable Army: civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Sliver of Justice

They say, no good deed goes unpunished. I'm hoping that won't end up being the case to this particular story.

Back in March of 2007, ePluribus Media published the first article in a three-part series which I wrote, Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act. In part, the article highlighted the situation of the von Ackermann family and the lack of insurance benefits they received after Kirk von Ackermann, a civilian contractor, disappeared in Iraq in 2003.

Von Ackermann's employer at the time, Ultra Services of Istanbul Turkey, did not carry Defense Base Act insurance, similar to workman's compensation for overseas contractors. The Defense Base Act pays benefits if a contractor is killed, injured or missing. Claims under the Defense Base Act are administered by the Department of Labor.

As a result of that series, an attorney retired from the Department of Labor contacted me with questions about the article and in particular, the plight of the von Ackermann family. I pointed him to the Missing in Iraq blog and as Megan has noted at her blog, he went on to eventually take on their case.

It is my understanding that he pursued benefits for the family under the War Hazards Compensation Act. The War Hazards Compensation Act is a component of the Defense Base Act but applies only to those killed, injured or missing due to the actions of hostile forces. The War Hazards Compensation Act reimburses by 100% all benefits. As the US Army CID had determined in 2006 that Kirk von Ackermann was abducted and killed by hostile forces, the claim falls clearly under the War Hazards Act.

In other words, even if Kirk von Ackermann's employer had secured Defense Base Act insurance as required, all benefits would have been reimbursed by the Federal Government any way, in effect rendering the middle man of an insurance company as moot.

While I don't know the details beyond what Megan von Ackermann has posted on her blog (see Yuliscious), just shortly before Christmas, a check arrived from the Department of Labor - over 6 years after Kirk von Ackermann disappeared in Iraq. The Department of Labor finally recognized her claim.

Without ePluribus Media, that little bit of righting a wrong might never have happened. I'd like to take a moment to thank here everyone who helped make the series possible.

Original credits for those who worked on the article, proofreading, editing, fact checking, etc at ePluribus Media are: rba, newton snookers, cho, intranets, steven reich, greyhawk, wanderindiana, XicanoPwr, standingup, roxy

Additional Reading

Yuliscious
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, December 24, 2009

Defense Base Act vs War Hazards Compensation Act - graphic
December 23, 2008

The Defense Base Act - insurance for contractors
April 6, 2007

Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act - reprint
March 7, 2007

Safety in Afghanistan

I came across a news article today about security in Afghanistan. It contains a quote from John Dawkins. What he has to say about security on the road holds significant interest for this blog.

Congressman says US tax money pays Afghan Taliban for protection
The Associated Press, Arizona Daily Star, December 17, 2009
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/attack/321697

Congress is investigating allegations that U.S. tax dollars are being paid to warlords and the Taliban for security on supply routes used to truck food, water, fuel and ammunition to American troops in Afghanistan. [...]

The arrangement for moving supplies throughout Afghanistan, known as the Host Nation Trucking contract, began in May 2009. There are eight companies handling the work.

Before this umbrella contract was in place, there were far more contractors involved and less oversight, according to John Dawkins, chief executive officer of the Mesopotamia Group in Kabul, one of the current contractors. But he also said it's no secret that payments are made to ensure safe passage through dangerous patches. Without U.S. or NATO security to guard the convoys and the routes, which is a risky and time-intensive task, there's no other option.

"We have to pay certain security companies to get from one place to another place," Dawkins said. "And everybody's interconnected and there's huge money involved. If you don't pay for your security, you're on your own."

Dawkins also downplayed the notion that much of the money flows to the Taliban. "Most of the people are just bandits on the road," he said. "I think you'd have a really hard time defining exactly who the Taliban are.

I can't help but see things through the prism of what happened in 2003 in Iraq.

Roy Hallums Memoir

Cordova man tells of 2004 kidnapping in new book
By Bartholomew Sullivan, The Commercial Appeal, November 16, 2009

Roy A. Hallums, an American contractor held hostage for 311 days in Iraq, has written a memoir, Buried Alive: The True Story of Kidnapping, Captivity and a Dramatic Rescue. The book is due for release in January of 2010.

Hallums was rescued by the US military on September 7, 2005.

Americans Missing in Iraq - November 2009

This is an update to a post from January 14, 2009, US Hostages in Iraq.Last fall, an article from the Associated Press provided statistics from the Defense Intelligence Agency on Americans who were kidnapped in Iraq.

Iraq calmer but copycat kidnappings spread
By Pamela Hess, Associated Press, October 13, 2008

Five years ago, retired Air Force intelligence officer Kirk von Ackermann became the first of 39 Americans to be kidnapped in Iraq. He's still missing, his wife fearing she'll never see him again.

In May of 2009, a contractor, Jim Kitterman, was abducted in the International Zone (IZ) and murdered bringing the total of Americans known to have been kidnapped in Iraq to 40.

Attached is a chart showing the incident date, name and status of those 40. Technically, the status of 'released' should more properly be referred to as 'Returned to Military Control' (RMC).

As mentioned in a previous post, there is good reason to believe there are more Americans missing in Iraq than those who have been reported. Employers and family members may choose to keep quiet for a number of reasons (ransom, etc). Just to be clear, 40 is the minimum number of those known to have been kidnapped in Iraq to date.

Not included in the chart (at this time) are the troops taken POW (status: missing) during the invasion of March 2003. All were Returned to Military Control:

Spc. Edgar Hernandez
Spc. Joseph Hudson
Spc. Shoshana Johnson
Pfc. Patrick Miller
Sgt. James Riley
Pfc. Jessica Lynch
Chief warrant officer David Williams
Chief warrant officer Ronald Young Jr.

American Hostages in Iraq

Kirk von Ackermann
Thomas Hamill
Nick Berg
William Bradley
Keith Matthew Maupin
Timothy E. Bell
Aban Elias
Micah Garen
Jack Hensley
Olin Eugene Armstrong, Jr.
Paul Taggart
Roy Hallums
Dean Sadek
Jeffrey Ake
Tom Fox
Ronald Alan Schulz
Jill Carroll
PFC Kristian Menchaca
PFC Thomas Tucker
Sgt Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie
Jonathon Michael Cote
Paul Christopher Johnson-Reuben
Joshua Mark Munns
John Roy Young
Ronald Withrow
Sgt Alex Ramon Jimenez
PFC Byron W. Fouty
Jim Kitterman

+ unknown persons

Dream

Just over a year ago, on September 19, 2008 to be exact, I actually had a nightmare about Ryan Manelick. That had never happened before. For what it's worth, I thought I'd share the dream here.

The Dream

There were two rolls of vinyl tape (like duct tape) that were important to Ryan Manelick's case and someone was trying to destroy them. One of the rolls was lavender color. I felt an enormous amount of anxiety and panic within the dream.

Analysis

I filed an FOIA with the NSA for two audio recordings (two tapes) of satellite phone calls made by Kirk von Ackermann shortly before he disappeared. It is my personal belief that von Ackermann did not place the second call (lavendar is wishy washy - literally). I believe that an impostor (roll = 'role') placed the call using von Ackermann's satellite phone.

Further on the two words lavender and roll...a 'lav' is a microphone or a washroom, LAV also is short for 'light armored vehicle' as used by the military. It's my belief that von Ackermann was abducted and killed on an American base in Iraq. Roll has many meanings, a few worth pointing out - roll as in tire, roll out, let's roll, rock n' roll (the vehicle was found among rocky outcroppings, steam roll, roll over play dead, I think you can get the general idea of how my mind works with word play. You can probably think up some variations of your own....

Destroying the tapes - I must be worrying in my sub-conscience that the NSA is going to destroy recordings. As to why the dream was specific to Ryan Manelick - I find that very odd. I substituted Manelick for von Ackermann even though I didn't file an FOIA for Manelick's satellite call.

Now you may be wondering, why not? Several reasons. The only known satellite call placed by Ryan Manelick that I am aware of -- specifically reported by news media and confirmed by colleagues -- is the one that Manelick made to Charles Phillips at the exact moment he was killed in a drive-by shooting.

1. Personally, I could never ever bring myself to listen to such a devastatingly violent event like that.

2. Even if the NSA had intercepted and recorded that particular satellite call, they would never release it under the privacy exemption of the FOIA. As an example of how I know this to be the case, the FAA does not release black box audio recordings of cockpit crew just prior to an impending airplane crash. The FAA won't even release the audio recordings to immediate family members of those killed in a crash.

As a result, there was no reason to pursue an FOIA of the satellite call from Manelick to Phillips.

Anyway, for what it's worth, that was the dream.

Wild Dogs

You just can't make this stuff up.

‘Burn pit’ lawsuits land in Greenbelt
By Brendan Kearney, Daily Record Legal, October 20, 2009

A raft of lawsuits filed across the country by soldiers and contractors who say they were sickened by “burn pits” in Iraq and Afghanistan have been transferred to a federal judge in Maryland.

The suits against Halliburton Co. and its former subsidiary, KBR Inc., allege a variety of waste — from batteries to medical detritus, including human remains — was tossed and torched in huge, uncovered holes near army bases.

The plaintiffs, who hope to become a class of thousands, say the hazardous smoke from these sites caused ailments from rashes to upper respiratory problems to cancer. [...]

“Wild dogs in the area raided the burn pit and carried off human remains,” the suit states. “The wild dogs could be seen roaming the base with body parts in their mouths, to the great distress of the U.S. forces.”

UPDATE

The actual court filing of Eller v KBR Inc et al is available online. The Plaintiff is Joshua Eller. He was deployed to Iraq for ten months starting in February 2006.

Page 11 of 17, Line 50 reads:

50. Plaintiff [Joshua Eller] witnessed the open air burn pit in operation at Balad Air Force Base. On one occasion, he witnessed a wild dog running around base with a human arm in its mouth. The human arm had been dumped on the open air burn pit...

Heads

Something a little different...

An American playwright, EM Lewis, has written a play about a group of hostages in Iraq titled 'Heads.' The play features four characters separated as two pairs of hostages. The first pair are a journalist named Michael Apres and a photojournalist named Jack Velazquez. The second pair are a British embassy worker, Caroline Conway, and an American engineer, Harold Wolfe. I thought it was interesting the playwright chose only civilians for her characters.

Synopsis of the play:

'Heads' is the story of a British Embassy worker, an American engineer, a network journalist and a freelance photographer who are being held captive in Iraq; as death draws close, each hostage must decide what he’ll do to survive.

Denver Post has a review up although it's not clear what the reviewer really felt about the play - to see or not to see - it's not clear.

Review: "Heads" explores how hostages cope
By Angela Clemmons, The Denver Post, October 16, 2009

It's strange to say that a play about hostages in Iraq could be entertaining, but EM Lewis' "Heads" at the Victorian Playhouse is a gripping fictional drama that raises important questions about our times.

Susan Lyles directs the And Toto Too production to brutal depths. But what could have been a deeply political piece instead ends up a play about coping with current events. Who or what is it we reach for when it seems all hope is lost? What small gestures give us solace? Is optimism a better mechanism than pessimism, or the other way around?

The playwright's blog, Players to Broken Stones, has some production photos:

Coming up next: HEADS in Denver!
September 25, 2009

More Pictures from Heads in Denver
October 14, 2009

PS I've created a new label, 'drama', to cover theater, film and tv productions that touch on Iraq hostages.

Six Years

Six years ago today Kirk von Ackermann disappeared without a trace in Iraq.

I'm told the investigation into his disappearance remains active and that, about a year ago, CID launched a new round of interviews. My understanding is that the line of inquiry continues to focus on the allegations of fraud put forth by his colleague, Ryan Manelick, shortly before Manelick was killed in a drive by shooting.

I still believe the key to solving what happened to both men is to trace Kirk von Ackermann's movements on the day he disappeared - specifically, trying to answer the simple question of what did he do to try and fix his tire? Because I just can't, no matter how hard I try, believe that a man as sharp and discerning as Kirk von Ackermann could repeatedly make poor decisions on the day he disappeared.

Because if he didn't make poor decisions, then clearly something took him by surprise. Simple logic says that in Iraq he was most vulnerable where he felt safest - like surrounded by military personnel on an American base.

Related:

The Bridge Theory (graphic, includes decision chart)
March 25, 2008

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

Quiet on the Western Front

Assorted bits and pieces....

ePluribus Media articles

I've cross-posted most of my old articles from ePluribus Media to the Missing Man archives. The posts are backdated to coincide with the original publication dates. The Missing Man was always intended to be a library of materials, all be it one with a very narrow focus of interest. Enough time has passed that it seemed appropriate to include the full text of the articles here.

Review of The Curse of the al Dulaimi Hotel
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, August 18, 2008

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

Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, March 4, 2007

One Missing One Dead: An Iraq Contractor in the Fog of War
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, May 21, 2006

FOIA

Still no word on my administrative appeal regarding the FOIA request with the NSA. Nor any word on another equally important FOIA request with CENTCOM for base access records, short of the confirmation that the request was in fact received.

In case I've never mentioned it before, the base access FOIA request seeks entrance and exit records for all of the bases in the northeast of Iraq for any and all Ultra Services personnel within a limited time frame. Specifically, records from the three days before and after Kirk von Ackermann disappeared. I'm hoping the records will disprove my own hypothesis that Kirk von Ackermann visited another base to fix a wonky tire after he left FOB Pacesetter.

Why disprove rather than prove the hypothesis? It's impossible to prove von Ackermann entered or exited area bases if no record exists. Absence of a record is not in itself proof. It's only possible to disprove von Ackermann did not visit a base if a record shows that in fact he did.

Missing in Iraq

Megan von Ackermann has been writing over at her blog, Missing in Iraq, about legal action regarding survivor benefits stemming from her husband's disappearance that is slowly winding its way through the system. The basis of the suit is the Defense Base Act. I've compiled links to recent posts below:

Fallout
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, July 20, 2009

Reality
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 29, 2009

Re-charted
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 26, 2009

Charted
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 24, 2009

Ideal
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 11, 2009

Reluctant
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 5, 2009

And speaking of the Defense Base Act....

Several recent articles by T. Christian Miller on the Defense Base Act. (Click on his name to check out more of Miller's articles at ProPublica.) There's some misguided criticism around the web that the Defense Base Act works just fine and no changes are needed. Funny: the various editorials are not written by contractors rather, such editorials are usually penned by folks who directly benefit under the current system, like lawyers and insurance executives. Funny that.

Pentagon Study Proposes Overhaul of Defense Base Act to Cover Care for Injured Contractors by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 15, 2009 6:52 pm

Congressman Announces Plan to Reform U.S. System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 9, 2009 5:19 pm

Sometimes It’s Not Your War, But You Sacrifice Anyway by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - August 17, 2009 9:19 am

Company That Probes War Contractor Injuries for AIG Is Itself Under Scrutiny by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 31, 2009 4:06 pm

Hostage Remains Released to UK

Body of hostage held in Iraq released
Belfast Telegraph, September 3, 2009

A body thought to be of one of the five British hostages captured in Baghdad in 2007 was passed to the embassy in Iraq yesterday.

The identity has yet to be confirmed but it is believed to be either Alan McMenemy or Alec MacLachlan, who were kidnapped while working as bodyguards.

Names of the five hostages and their status:

Peter Moore - thought to be alive
Jason Swindlehurst - deceased
Jason Creswell - deceased
Alan McMenemy - missing, suspicions he is deceased
Alec MacLachlan - missing, suspicions he is deceased

UPDATE

Remains have now been positively identified as that of Alec MacLachlan, 30, of Llanelli, south Wales.

Iraq body confirmed as UK hostage
BBC, September 3, 2009

A body handed to UK authorities in Iraq has been identified as that of Alec MacLachlan - one of five British men seized in Baghdad in 2007.

My very sincere condolences.