Mosul Road Closures Cause Havoc

Farmers, taxi drivers and other users of the main highway between Baghdad and Mosul say they have faced a multitude of problems recently following the closure of the route by the United States military.

The Baghdad-Mosul road was initially blocked for a week after an Apache helicopter was shot down on June 27, killing two US soldiers, near al-Taji about 30 kilometres north of Baghdad. It has been closed intermittently ever since.

The US military says the measures are necessary in order to limit insurgent activity and maintain security.

But Abu Ali, who refused to give his full name, said there are no other easy routes available to people travelling to the north of the country. The highway to Mosul also links Baghdad with Samarra, Tikrit and Kirkuk.

Nearby roads are also blocked, including a route which links al-Taji to Nbaee, a small village which is home to many important asphalt factories.

It is still possible to travel to such areas. But many travellers are unfamiliar with the alternative routes, and these anyway consist mainly of muddy, unpaved roads.

One taxi driver said the surfaces are so bad along these back roads that during a single trip, he was forced to change all four tyres on his vehicle. “We are facing a big crisis,” said Abu Ali, who has driven taxis for seven years. “I have never faced such difficulties as I face today.”

Hamid al-Kelanee, one of Abu Ali’s passengers, added that he had travelled between his home town of Mosul and Baghdad on many occasions, but had never experienced such a difficult journey.

“When we drive on these rugged roads, it is very dusty and the dirt comes into the car,” he said. “But there’s no air conditioning, so we have to leave the windows open because of the heat.”

At a crossroad in the al-Tarmiyah area, several young boys stand by the roadside giving directions to drivers confused by the diversions.

“We stand here every day to point drivers in the right direction,” said one, Mohammad Faez, “because in this area, there are many different ways to go.”

Farmers who live north of Baghdad and travel to the capital to sell their produce say their business is suffering because of the travel restrictions. As a result of the blocked roads, it now takes more than four hours to reach Baghdad from some of the northern cities, and their fruit and vegetables suffer greatly in transit.

Salah Kamil, a farmer, said his Kia pick-up truck is too large to travel on some of the small, makeshift roads that have become the alternative routes.

“My grapes have been damaged and spoiled because of all the turns I have to make on these rugged roads,” he added. “This has caused a financial loss because the buyers pay less for my grapes.”

Fahad al-Janabee, who also sells grapes, said it used to take him less than three hours to travel from Balad, located north of Baghdad, to the market in al-Suala Alwa where he sells his products.

Now, because of the blocked roads, the same journey takes more than five hours.

“The longer exposure to heat damages the grapes, and they also get dirty because I have to travel along these dusty roads,” he said. “I consequently lose financially.”

Nasir Kadhim is an IWPR trainee in Baghdad.