I live near the United Nations compound. When I first arrived in Iraq in January 2005, I never heard any noises from their compound. It was eerily silent. Apparently, they had pulled out almost everyone after the bad guys attacked them in August 2003. Shortly after the attack, the Secretary General said that the United Nation would not return until the security of its staff was assured.
Nevertheless, over the last seven months, I have slowly heard more and more noise from the United Nations compound. Occasionally I have heard the sounds of people having parties, and every so often I hear the sounds of soldiers and guards practicing with their weapons. Almost every time I leave the compound I now see a soldier (Mostly Fijians) wearing a blue United Nations badge. Whenever I take a Rhino bus to the airport, I generally see a handful of United Nations civilians.
I think the United Nations was trying to keep a low profile, but it is hard to deny that over the last few months it has significantly increased the number of agencies, and consequently the number of people, it has in Iraq.
Posted by alohafromtim
at 11:39 PM EDT