Some recent messages from friends in Iraq ...

From a friend who was, until recently, working inside the Green Zone:

"I will be interested in a job if it is at the north because I am planning to move to the north and have applied for some jobs over there and might travel to Arbile soon for that sake. I will still be interested to have a job at the north only because I have already left my job where Baghdad is completely unsafe. I have a gun in my belt as long as I am out side my home. I got sick and tired from this environment and cant continue anymore."

From a friend who is the director of an Iraqi environmental NGO:

"Did you hear about the kidnap of our group organization when we finshed the conference in tikrit government? At the midde way between baghdad & tikrit some of ganmen stoped our car; take us to unknown direction; they tied our arms , eyes , legs. They release us after 15 days. They kill one of our organiztion by knife. Also they toke our camera , labtop , car , cell phone , money, etc."

From another friend who runs an Iraqi environmental group:

"I'm very sorry ,today I could read my email, it was stopped because of very bad things happened where I live ,the terrorists threatened my sister and her husband and they send them a threatening letter to leave thier house or else they will kill her and her husband,so she left for another place also my older sister left, my brother with his family left, and I left temporirly for two weeks,before two days I return back to my house with fear on my son, my daughters, all my sisters and brothers and thier family lived near my house and they help me in many things, so I feel miserable those days."

From a friend who is a translator for American forces in Iraq:

"h r u doin? actually my job too dangerous and outside it is many IED we just responsible about the street and we do not make any raids and im inside the hamvee when my boss need me i ganna be outside the hamvee and some soldiers from US and another from Spanish or different countries. yes they respect me so much."

Note: I suspect my translator friend gets paid about $1000 per month for this work.