I’ve been writing a post thread titled The War of the Bridges for some time now, because the topic is a serious one, and deserves attention. The bridges in Iraq are under strategic attack by the resistance/Sunni insurgency/Shiite extremists/Mahdi Army/Badr Corps/Ba’athist dead- enders or the tools of the evil Iranians. There are most likely two different motivations stemming from this desire to limit road transportation around the country: inconveniencing the US occupation forces, or limiting the travel of Iraqis.

Almost all of the supplies consumed by the occupation forces are imported by truck, overland from Kuwait or Turkey. The need to protect these convoys is primary, and is in fact one of the major reasons why personnel from the Navy and Air Force have been drafted in to serve as convoy guards. Some of the estimated 40,000 armed contractors from Private Military companies perform the same service too. If the armed contingents of the 22 million or so Iraqis succeed in closing the roads it will not be pretty.

IraqSlogger, which has provided quite a few leads in the past for articles I’ve written, has published a large document about the War of the Bridges. It’s due to be released tomorrow.

It apparently concerns itself with the bridges that service Baghdad, the capital city specifically, rather than the bridges of the country as a whole. It’s a complicated subject because it entails more than strategic military theory; the economic impact of the failure of a road system paralyzes a country in ways that are almost unimaginable.

Iraq’s sprawling capital is bisected by two waterways, the mighty Tigris River and the man-made Army Canal. To the southeast, the Diyala River separates the city from Iraq’s southern provinces. It is nearly impossible to maneuver in the city, or to enter the capital from the northern or southern approach without crossing strategic bridges.

Baghdad’s residents know which bridges are controlled by extremist Sunni militants, and which are controlled by Shi'a militias, or by the security forces. These factors combine to make some spans into extremely crowded parts of Baghdad’s transportation network, and others into virtual no-man’s lands. Baghdad’s residents follow these changing patterns each day. Informed Iraq observers need the same information.

Bridges in Baghdad also form strategic choke points, exploited by security forces and militants alike. The destruction and closure of several bridges due to extremist attacks and security operations has re-routed traffic in areas all around the city, leaving some districts isolated from the rest of the city, and others heavily congested.

Confusion and uncertainty always work in favor of the attacker – in this case the anti-occupation forces, regardless of how they might identify themselves. The simple act of dictating how your opponent must move his forces and supply them grants a degree of military advantage. You're making him react to you.

Militant control of approaches to different bridges also informs the strategic layout of the city. Members of different Iraqi groups constantly readjust their travel patterns in order to avoid the strongholds of militants of the “other” sect, increasing the dependence of different sects on different bridges. The April 2007 destruction of the al-Sarafiya Bridge over the Tigris in central Baghdad is a dramatic example. The loss of this major route between Baghdad’s eastern and western halves drove Shi'a residents to reconfigure their travel patterns in complex ways due to the combination of militant control over nearby bridge approaches.

As each bridge falls, the occupier is pressed harder, and must increase his security surveillance over the remaining structures, lest he lose them, too. With limited manpower resources, he must transfer units from his maneuver screen to provide more security

In addition to militant activity, Iraqi and Coalition forces have also shaped strategic conditions on Baghdad’s bridges. Some spans are closed to civilian traffic. Other bridges are open only in certain directions or during certain hours. Still others are open only to passenger vehicles, forcing heavy trucks, capable of carrying commercial freight -- or explosive payloads -- to reroute to other crossings. These security interventions, part of the ongoing struggle for control of the capital, create their own strategic realities for Baghdad’s civilians and combatants alike.

It’s important to remember, however, that most countries have historically been conquered in the outlands first; the capital city has usually been the last step. While the bridges within the city itself are a key factor in defending our occupation, there is a logic to forcing traffic flow in the outer provinces.

IraqSlogger’s exclusive report The Bridges of Baghdad covers 43 structures, including 14 bridges over the Tigris, 5 spanning the Diyala River, 16 over the Army Canal, as well as an appendix detailing 7 bridges and an excavated roadway crossing the strategic Muhammad al-Qasim Highway.

For each bridge, the report includes information about construction materials, lanes open, opening hours, passability, checkpoints, cargo capacity restrictions, prohibitions on types of vehicles or direction of travel, as well as an explanation of the logistical and strategic relevance of each structure.

Each entry brings together descriptive, historical, and geographic data gathered by our network of well-informed Iraqi sources. Precise coordinates and satellite image illustrations are also provided for each bridge.

Now, if you’re interested in reading the study, you must remember that some of this material is sensitive, and IraqSlogger is going to be a bit careful about whom they sell it to.

Price for the heavily illustrated and comprehensive 95-page PDF will be $495. Due to the sensitive nature of this document buyers will be asked to submit a request and then be approved for sale.

The War of the Bridges series

The Bridges of Iraq

The War of the Bridges

Another Bridge Attack

Baghdad Bridges Falling Down

The Daily Bridge Attack

Balad Bridge

Pitrokimiwiat Bridge

Thiraa Dilja Bridge

The Bridges of Baghdad