Yesterday our clinic docs and staff went to Camp Slayer in West Baghdad to visit the Al Radwaniyah Presidential Complex. We were lucky to "inherit" Liberty Clinic's SUV making the trip a breeze.The Complex is made up of several palaces, man-made lakes, and luxury villas. Chief among the high rises: the conjoined Victory Over America (VOAP) and Victory Over Iran Palaces (VOIP), the Perfume Palace, the Ba'ath Party Headquarters, and the Al Faw Palace to the north.
Just one of many enclaves Saddam kept exclusively for family, friends, and Ba'ath Party guests. We are told the payment for this 9.2 square mile resort came from absconded "oil-for-medicine" funds. The VOIP was started in 1991 and it's partner, the VOAP was begun in 1997 and never completed (note the cranes). The structure was ripped apart by two VDAM bombs on the eve of OIF-2 in March 20, 2003. By the time the Coalition invasion came through, looting of the furnishings, fixtures, and artwork by local Iraqis was nearly complete. Today the monolith is stripped absolutely bare.
Just across the lake from VOAP is Flintstone Village. A large-scale replica of the prehistoric cartoon town and playground to Saddam's grandchildren. It too is in shambles and tagged with multi-national graffiti of every possible description.
Only the security walls that surround this compound appear intact. The Iraqi public, we are told, never knew the measure of opulence and luxury that existed within Al Radwaniyah.
