I’m actually an avid collector of Coke bottles, and have them from 130

countries and territories.

Iraq does not have Coca-Cola (nor does neighboring Syria), although a

Pepsi canning plant opened about a month ago. The Pepsi Cans, in

Arabic, carry the slogan: “The Soft Drink Made in Iraq.” Most of the

Coca-Cola and other soft-drinks are imported in cans from Turkey (in the

north) and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan.

In Iraq, soft drinks are sold in both glass bottles and cans. You can

buy plastic bottles of Zam-Zam, which is manufactured in Iran. The

glass bottles tend to be the 330 ml size. They would not shatter over

someone’s head. The person who claimed as such was untruthful. The

U.S. military bases provide cans of Coca-Cola, most often imported from

Kuwait but, in the north, from Turkey.

That said, early on, some U.S. soldiers did drive through street markets

and upset pushcarts and vendors. This was unfortunate and uncalled for,

but our civil affairs teams put an end to such incidents quickly.