Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.Computer-generated projections of the soon-to-be completed, heavily fortified compound were posted on the Web site of the Kansas City, Mo.-based architectural firm that was contracted to design the massive facility in the Iraqi capital.
The images were removed by Berger Devine Yaeger Inc. shortly after the company was contacted by the State Department.
"We work very hard to ensure the safety and security of our employees overseas," said Gonzalo Gallegos, a department spokesman. "This kind of information out in the public domain detracts from that effort."
The 10 images included a scheme of the overall layout of the compound, plus depictions of individual buildings including the embassy itself, office annexes, the Marine Corps security post, swimming pool, recreation center and the ambassador's and deputy ambassador's residences. ...
Dan Sreebny, a spokesman for the embassy in Baghdad, declined to discuss the accuracy of the posted images.
"In terms of commenting whether they're accurate, obviously we wouldn't be commenting on that because we don't want people to know whether they're accurate or not for security reasons," he said. ...
The images posted on the Web site show that the $592 million embassy, expected to be completed in September on prime real estate two-thirds the size of Washington's National Mall, will be a spacious and comfortable facility, albeit dangerous.
Identified as the "Baghdad U.S. Embassy Compound Master Plan," the images show palm-lined paths, green grass gardens and volleyball and basketball courts outside the Marine post, as well as the swimming pool.
"In total, the 104-acre compound will include over twenty buildings, including one classified secure structure and housing for over 380 families," the Web site says.
It says the compound will include the embassy building, housing, a PX, commissary, cinema, retail and shopping areas, restaurants, schools, a fire station, power and water treatment plants as well as telecommunications and wastewater treatment facilities.
A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report last year said embassy security will be extraordinary: Setbacks and perimeter no-go areas will be especially deep, structures reinforced to 2.5 times the standard and five high-security entrances, plus an emergency entrance-exit.
. .
2 comments:
What matters is how high is the wall around it and whether it has a solid state rocket detector and a laser beam mortar zapper.
The old China wall may help the design -no less than 80 feet.
Perhaps a net roof? No, birds would ruin it, well... maybe.
Will it be needed if we become friends and make peace with them?
If not, why do we want an embassy in a place we are not wanted?
Who is going to apply for a visa to come to the U.S.? UBL's people?
Either way, it's waste!
Hey MikeSar.
Nice comment/post de mini.
Christ, the embassy project is a dream come true for everyone peddling supersensory gizmos.There will be no shortage of faith based solution providers ready to cater to problems defined by the dreary reality based worriers. The more problems the merrier - no matter how high they pile, we r there to stay.
Like we long ago said in some obscure & pornified recess of SMC: the moment we set foot on the beaches of Normandie we were in Europe to stay - and so we have stayed. Same same with L'Iraqé.
Friends or not, we do not care - nor do we need to care in order to realize the most pressing of hardcore agendas...just as long as we get the grown-uppy things that we want.
We are obviously not there to generate warm and fuzzy feelings - that kinda puppy love inevitably fizzles out and the ensuing disillusionment only serves to drive home to the impressionable what a criminally gargantuan waste of everyone's time the courting period was.
The idiot Iraqis that haven't already figured out what we are up to there aren't worth wasting the creamy butter on to postpone their inevitable moment of squinty eyed wincing. Better then to just skip to the chase and spit and poke on everyone's eye from here on in. We can build fortresses. Yes we can.
The big Q however is: do we as a brave nation of fast food lovers have the stamina and fortitude to airbridge in KFC, Wendy's, and most importantly, the essential flip & fry slaves from outside of Iraq? ( cuz u just know that as things continue to progress as they have, the feasibility of accessing cheap short order in-country cooks and urinal swabbers is gonna look like a logarithmically diminishing function. What then will happen to Halliburty's incentives to feed the bellies of the brave?
Alas, you come here prescient and all yaz gets is the ramblin's of a Meatball of One. Welcome back anytime.
Post a Comment