Iraqi interpreters are wearing more masks these days

In the Washington Post, Ernesto Londono picks up on a sign that Iraq may not be quite as safe as we’ve been led to believe: Iraqi interpreters working with the U.S. military in Baghdad are again allowed to hide their identity during certain missions, after a Pentagon decision to grant battalion commanders the discretion to ...

In the Washington Post, Ernesto Londono picks up on a sign that Iraq may not be quite as safe as we've been led to believe:

In the Washington Post, Ernesto Londono picks up on a sign that Iraq may not be quite as safe as we’ve been led to believe:

Iraqi interpreters working with the U.S. military in Baghdad are again allowed to hide their identity during certain missions, after a Pentagon decision to grant battalion commanders the discretion to disregard an earlier policy banning interpreters from wearing masks. […]

"Telling a terp [interpreter] that his country is safe when he doesn’t feel it’s safe is as pretentious as it gets," said an Army captain in Baghdad, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was criticizing his superiors. "The terp-mask thing is just the latest disconnect between what happens on the ground and what people want to be happening on the ground. We’re in full-on dress rehearsal now. I think we’re in such a hurry to get out of here, we’re wanting this place to be safer than it really is."

Tag: Iraq

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