Posted on 11/19/2004 1:44:59 PM PST by Woliff
Baghdad's spiralling transport costs
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.
Security costs have soared in Iraq reflecting the escalating risks for foreign workers.
The high-speed drive costs four times more than the £670 Royal Jordanian charges for a one-way flight from London to Baghdad via Amman.
It equates to about £183 a mile compared to £4 a mile for the 2,540-mile flight on the only commercial airline flying to Baghdad.
It offers two daily 90-minute flights, although times are subject to changes and cancellations, depending on whether the airport is under mortar attack.
The airport is the hub of the US-led coalition's military activities, while the high-security "green zone" is the centre of civilian administration.
'Gun car'
"You could jump in an Iraqi taxi with a gun and get there for $20," said one security contractor, quoted by the UK's Times newspaper.
But with kidnappings a daily occurrence and Westerners being sold to Islamist militant groups for about £150,000, he advised against it.
A few thousand pounds will afford you two cars and four Western ex-military bodyguards, usually American, South African or British, packing MP5 submachine guns, M16 rifles and/or AK47 assault rifles.
The client rides in one vehicle at speeds averaging 100 mph, while the other, called the "gun car", travels close-by, looking out for potential assailants.
Since the beginning of the resistance, this vital route has come under attack from car bombs, suicide attacks, snipers and rocket-propelled grenades.
Security in Iraq is now big business. At least 10% of each reconstruction project budget in Iraq goes on protection.
For this price, does one at least get the fun of sending a few rounds out the car window?
Sounds like an "E" ticket ride!!
This article doesn't make any sense, and it sounds like a hoax. As far as I know, we don't have American mercenaries in Baghdad charging for armed taxi rides. I suspect that the way this "reporter" arrived at the $5,000 figure, is that he looked at the monthly cost for transportation and divided it by the monthly number of trips taken on this route. No one "charges" for a convoy escort.
This is probably what BBC has to pay, otherwise I don't even believe this story, MSM leftie drivel IMO.
I too think it is a bit of a stretch. What good are gunmen if they blow your car with an roadside bomb?
Either that, or this correspondent has been padding his expense report and has found a very creative way to justify it.
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