Hauliers struggle to navigate Iraq’s Isis-controlled roads

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And we think it’s hard being a haulier in the US and Europe. This fascinating FT article – which you may have to register or subscribe for – tells the story of the truck drivers who carry goods from Jordan to Iraq, through Isis-controlled lands. A 500-mile journey can now take up to a month, while Isis also imposes a tax, of perhaps $300 for a truckload of paint, or $1,000 for a shipment of pharmaceuticals. Hauliers cannot carry tobacco, which is banned, and may have to recite verses from the Koran at Isis checkpoints. Jordanian drivers stop at Iraq’s border to reload onto Iraqi trucks, and some Jordanian exporters now move their goods by the long sea route to Basra. An interesting read if you are able to access it.