Baghdad, Iraq, Route Irish commented by a french guy cruising in his taxi-cab local style wreck

"Route Irish" commented in february 2005 by a french guy traveling low profile style in a local outfit and in his soft skinned GMC taxi cab "rent a wreck" to survive among the fittest on this dangerous strip between Greenzone and the Baghdad Airport also known as BIAP. In those times explosive loaded cars were driven every week by fanatical kamikaze style of suicide bomber into the convoys of multinational forces or Security contractors, or other less defended high value targets in order to detonate as close as possible and kill a max. To not appear as a valuable target was only one of the various ways to somehow evade the quasi permanent danger and get the job done.
The Baghdad Airport Road is a 12 kilometer (7.5 mi) stretch of highway in Baghdad, Iraq linking the International Zone, a heavily fortified area at the center of Baghdad, to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). It also links different parts of Baghdad to the Airport and connects neighboring areas to each other. It became prominent after the 2003 invasion of Iraq following its capture by the Coalition Forces. Although it was commonly referred to by the military Main Supply Route (MSR) designation 'Route Irish', the route from the International Zone to the airport stretches over two MSRs: Route Aeros, the section leading into and out of the International Zone, and Route Irish, which stretches east from the airport then turns south (past the junction with Route Aeros) to a junction with Highway 1 (MSR Tampa).

Due to heavy military traffic and high-profile convoys, route from the International Zone to the airport was extremely dangerous in the years following the invasion. The many roadside bombs, suicide bombers attacking its checkpoints, drive-by shootings and random shooting from the areas on both sides of the road lead to its notoriety[1]. In late 2005 after increased patrolling, the road become safer and more reliable.[2][3]

The designation 'Route Irish' follows the common practice of naming MSRs after sports teams, in this case the 'Fighting Irish' of the University of Notre Dame. (Wikipedia)

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Baghdad
• Bagdad
• Route Irish
• Greenzone
• International Zone
• Operation Iraqi Freedom
• France
• DoD Contractor
• low profile
• undercover
• ikognito
• GMC
• Taxi cab

[NickVenture1]

All this here is "past"/over/finishedhistory... Today I don't advise anybody to travel like that in Baghdad. I even will add that I do not recommend any travel to Iraq, except for maybe Kurdistan areas for us type of foreigners. There are so many other nicer places in the world. Maybe a couple million Iraqis should be allowed to travel somewhere else and return with an improved vision about the world surrounding them.

[leftywilbury]

merci,

these days i try to have trips from/to airports as relaxed as possible and enjoy them. i am glad i've found this video as seems unlikely for me to go anytime soon to iraq.

also thanks for sharing all details -now i am sure a local outfit will surely help-

how was the trip after all ? and the way back to the airport ? was it any fun ?

MERCI