Britain to U.S.: No, we're NOT picking you up at the (Baghdad) airport!

[RTFirefly]

Britain says the road to the Baghdad airport is too dangerous to travel, and if you get there, flying out is pretty dangerous too.

The embassy says that the road between Baghdad and the international airport, perhaps the most important highway in the country, is now too dangerous to use. The advice says starkly: “With effect from 28 November, the British embassy ceased all movements on the Baghdad International airport road.”

The airport road is littered with evidence of previous attacks: the twisted cars used by suicide bombers and craters from roadside bombs.

The embassy says a bomb was discovered on a flight inside Iraq on 22 November. It shows that insurgents have been able to penetrate the stringent security at Baghdad airport. The embassy says its own staff have been advised against taking commercial planes.

But The AP’s Robert Reid says despite the dangers, every other route out of the country from Baghdad is even more dangerous.

Despite the increasing dangers, the airport road has taken on greater importance for foreign diplomats, journalists and Iraqis because the dreadful security situation elsewhere precludes using other routes into and out of the country.

The main highways west to Jordan and Syria are even more dangerous - especially for foreigners - because of armed insurgents around Ramadi and Fallujah who have kidnapped and beheaded both Iraqi and foreign hostages.

The road south toward Karbala and Najaf passes through a string of insurgent-controlled towns and cities dubbed “the triangle of death” because of the large number of foreigners and Iraqi Shiite Muslims waylaid over the last year.

Another road to the southwest through Kut and on to Basra is considered safer - but only relatively. As the route approaches Amarah it passes through an area notorious for carjackings.

The highway north toward Mosul, known to the U.S. military as Highway One, passes through such insurgency-plagued cities as Samarra, Tikrit and Beiji. And the U.S. military describes the situation in Mosul as “tenuous.”

That leaves the airport as the “safest” way out of Baghdad.

And any way you look at it, it’s a damned expensive cab ride.

A 15-mile stretch between Baghdad airport and the city centre is said to be the world’s most expensive taxi ride.

Small convoys of armoured cars and Western gunmen charge about £2,750 ($5,108) for the perilous journey.

The route, known as the Qadisiyah Expressway, has become the scene of regular attacks and kidnappings by insurgents.

Helicopters. Once again, it’s gonna come down to helicopters.

[wring]

shit.

[Reeder]

What’s so bad about it is that it’s going to get worse.

Trust me.

[Aldebaran]

It is the result of a combination of the actions of two genial minds:

1. Hussein who released t Iraq’s criminals just before the criminal invasion by the USA.
2. Criminal Bremer who had an even better idea: Getting rid of every Iraqi acotvie in the military or the police and every civil servant you can think of.

Truly amazing that since the invasio by the USA the criminals in Iraq can do whatever they want.
Truly amazing that kidnappings are the new fashion… Seen the fact that 99% of them are organized by said criminals with teh whole of Iraq as their playfield.
Equally amazing that local Imams tried to organize safety where they are of influence, which of course added to their influence.
Truly amazing that this then also the ideal setting for a lunatic like Al Sadr, coming from merely being a locally known figure who could rely on his father’s reputation, managed to become an Internationally Known Lunatic with even what was called an “army” of followers ready to fight to death.
Not to mention the leaking borders where no military or police (since Genial Criminal Bremer made them all jobless) controls the incoming Jihadis who saw (and see) in Iraq the occasion of a lifetime ti get killed for the good cause.

Very amazing indeed, all of this.

Salaam. A

[Aldebaran]

Forgot to add:
Equally amazing that all these elements found (and find) all the amunition and weapons they needed while the US was busy (and still is) to secure where the US came for: The oil industry (including the ministry). While all the rest was an open invitation for anyone who felt for going a bit on a looting-hunt trip.

Yes, truly amazing that nobody knows how on earth to get all these things back under control.

Salaam. A

[RTFirefly]

And now the US Embassy is forbidding its employees from traveling the road to the airport.

[Ravenman]

Oh, posh, You all are just focusing on the bad news. Don’t you know that over 100,000 pencils have been distributed to Iraqi schoolchildren? Where’s the news story about THAT?

[/FoxNews commentary OFF]

[Aldebaran]

@Ravenman

Oh, posh, You all are just focusing on the bad news. Don’t you know that over 100,000 pencils have been distributed to Iraqi schoolchildren? Where’s the news story about THAT?

[/FoxNews commentary OFF]

Do you know what a deadly weapon a sharp pencil can become when if alls in the wrong hands?

Salaam. A

[Squink]

@RTFirefly

Helicopters. Once again, it’s gonna come down to helicopters.

Nah, with the increase to 150,000 soldiers, there’ll be enough troops to line the airport road, all 79,200 feet of it, with a solid phalanx, standing shoulder to shoulder, on both sides of the road. That should be enough to make the route safe.

[Windwalker]

@Aldebaran

Do you know what a deadly weapon a sharp pencil can become when if alls in the wrong hands?

Salaam. A

Security Level Hot Pink, Decree No. 419-C: All No. 2 Pencils and associated Penicl Sharpeners are henceforth forbidden from coming within 50 meters of any commercial aircraft or reasonable facsimile thereof (including those produced by Hot Wheels and Matchbox). All debarkation and customs forms are to be filled out with Crayola brand magic markers.

[Zakalwe]

@Windwalker

Security Level Hot Pink, Decree No. 419-C: All No. 2 Pencils and associated Penicl Sharpeners are henceforth forbidden from coming within 50 meters of any commercial aircraft or reasonable facsimile thereof (including those produced by Hot Wheels and Matchbox). All debarkation and customs forms are to be filled out with Crayola brand magic markers.

Magic Markers!? Magic Markers!? What about the fumes, man? It’s people like you that enable the rampant drug use in this country. Today Magic Markers, tomorrow crack and heroin.