TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Iraq - Baghdad by Bus: Fears, Flashes of Hope
All know where their minds are racing and why their eyes are darting for any clues: Is this the moment disaster hits? Baghdad,Iraq -AP, By HAMZA HENDAWI –25 Oct 2007: -- Everyone falls silent. There's really no need to say anything. Is the new passenger boarding their minibus about to trigger an explosive vest filled with flesh-slicing shards? Is the car stuck alongside in a traffic jam driven by a suicide attacker? Is the checkpoint up ahead manned by militiamen?...
In most of the world, getting from one place to another is just another mundane journey. In Baghdad, it's a deadly gamble. Nothing brings together this wartime blend of necessity and terror more than Baghdad's huge fleet of creaky minibuses — a vital transportation link, but also a tempting target for insurgents. On Wednesday, twin blasts hit a minibus depot in a Shiite area during the morning commute to offices and schools. At least nine people were killed... One day last week, I traveled through Baghdad aboard these clunky workhorses of the street. Through the grime-streaked windows, the view was one I've seen before: the scars of a city divided by concrete blast walls, checkpoints and sectarian hatreds. Inside the buses, scenes and emotions unfolded in ways not often witnessed by outsiders... There were brief moments of normalcy — even laughter — as passengers swapped stories and advice. On one ride, the driver hunted for a heater for the approaching winter. Caught in heavy traffic in the central Karradah district, he did his bargain hunting from behind the wheel, shouting at shop assistants on the sidewalk to tell him the prices of different models. Then, in an instant, comes that quiet panic... (Photos -Above, by Khalid Mohammed/AP : Security guards search passengers before they board minibuses in central Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. With public transport almost nonexistent and taxi fares beyond the reach of most, hundreds of thousands in Baghdad have no choice but to ride the city's privately owned communal taxis. The small buses are an easy target for insurgents and militant attacks - Below, by Hadi Mizban/AP: An Iraqi soldier is eyed by a minibus passenger in central Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. With public transport almost nonexistent and taxi fares beyond the reach of most, hundreds of thousands in Baghdad have no choice but to ride the city's privately owned communal taxis. The small buses are an easy target for insurgents and militant attacks)Labels: passengers' transport systems
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