The AL-RASHEED Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq

I wandered outside of the CPIC, and found out that the Al-Rasheed hotel was across the street. This is well inside the "Green Zone", and it was my first real look at Baghdad.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Iraq
• Baghdad
• Al
• Rasheed
• Jon
• Smith
• embedded
• reporter
• ksnn
• sunny
• 106.1
• operation
• iraqi
• freedom
• smith
• and
• bushman
• green
• zone
• international

[eljonsmith]

He says the hotel is nice. (below)

[eljonsmith]

I don't use Skype. Sorry.

[eljonsmith]

This hotel is WELL inside the fortified Green Zone, with multiple check points throught the area. So it's safer than areas outside the wire.

I was very suprised at how easy I was able to move around. I really had no idea what to expect until I got there.

[medicmatt44]

one of the things that I loved about Baghdad is the birdies never stop chirping :)

[eljonsmith]

Those birds are CRAZY man!

[Hperman09]

The Al-Rasheed Hotel was the place when they were accidentally hit by a stray missile fired by U.S. Navy ships in 1993 when President George HW Bush in his final days in office ordered a cruise missile strike on Iraq because Saddam Hussein was not in compliance with UN inspections and kept on throwing them out. Two people were killed for it.

[ans757]

очень хороший отель .рекомендую

[Peacekeeper2403]

@Peacekeeper2403 I'd like to add that it's not the Iraqi people who were ever the enemy... even the soldiers of the Iraqi army are simply human. What makes terrorist so hard to find is that they look, walk, talk, and act just like everyday people. This tactic requires that the people and the military work 100% together to route out the terrorist. If only 99% of the people are willing to work together with the military mistakes will happen which lead to emotional moments in time.

[Peacekeeper2403]

@sharptornado I don't mean insult or to be generally mean, I am a firm believer that we were in Iraq for the wrong reasons and if the true intent was to free the people it should have gone in a different direction then it is currently going. The only thing I can do is wish for the best and attempt to be actively voting for government officials who would share my views and maybe they will invest time in helping your country as well. As for you I hope these changes are for the best in the long run

[sharptornado]

@Peacekeeper2403 I would like to thank you first for ur polite reply, Iraqi people were not enemy of american they are victim of terorrism as well as american, about was most of ur people against it , we need democracy but not on this way.

I apology for saying ur (damn troops) ur army is victim of false politics

we are civilized people but we did not a real safety even in the past we do not like extremism and religious people what ever they are.

[Peacekeeper2403]

Look I can't disagree with you. You are right with those things and personally, I didn't think it was necessary to send our boys over to Iraq. Lets not forget that although Baghdad was safe and no one tried bombing it there were little towns and villages in your country being bombed and biological weapons were tested on under Saddam's direct order to do so. Even if you in your city was fine LOTS of other people were dying and the people of Iraq as citizens had an obligation to stop it.