Berg the elder's (ANSWER man) sister, now dead, was married to an Iraqi who lives in Iraq now. Nick probably has Iraqi cousins there...which by the way, oh nevermind...
Time to put the tin-foil away & gain some sanity.
From the article in the Norman Transcript:
Michael Berg told the AP Nicholas' paternal aunt, now dead, married an Iraqi man named Mudafer, who became close to Nichols. In one of the emails, Nicholas Berg describs going to the northern city of Mosul, where he introduced himself to Mudafer's brother, identified as Moffak Mustaffa.
"We got along splendidly," Berg wrote. "We spent a few hours and I helped him establish an email account."
Berg notes that "my prsence ... made him more concerned (about his own safety and probably mine too) that I've been the entire time I've been here."
My comment: What is all of this about establishing email accounts -- do all these people have access to computers in Iraq?
Well .. if Nick had relatives there, it would seem much more logical for him to be in Iraq.