http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BAK329415.htmBaghdad's airport road: symbol of U.S. frustration
BAGHDAD, Dec 3 (Reuters) - As U.S. forces bore down on Baghdad in April last year, the first objective they took before the assault on the capital itself was the airport.
More than 20 months on from then, they still don't control the 10 km (6 mile) stretch between the airport and the city, now considered the most lethal piece of road in Iraq. (Baghdad Bob was telling the truth) snip
Foreign contractors and journalists needing to catch a plane scream down the highway in bullet proof cars at up to 160 km an hour (100 mph) to try to evade the threat of armed ambush.
On Friday, in the latest brazen assault, insurgents stormed a police station just south of the highway, almost within sight of a major American base at the checkpoint -- Camp Victory.
Despite far superior U.S. firepower, technology, equipment, training and resources, small bands of insurgents using basic weapons and easy-to-obtain explosives have put the Americans on the defensive on a vital slice of real estate.
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