‘Amman-Baghdad bus trips resumed’

AMMAN — The Jordan Express Tourist Transport (JETT) on Monday announced that it would start bus trips to Iraq, noting that the first trip is scheduled for Saturday.

Malek Haddad, JETT’s general manager, told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the company in August signed an agreement with Abdullah Oteibi, director general of the company that transports Iraqi passengers and delegations affiliated with the government, to resume the land transport route between Jordan and Iraq.

Haddad noted that trip schedules were made after the recent reopening of the border crossing between the two countries.

He added that the company has allocated several “modern” buses, which are equipped with up-to-date safety standards, to operate on the Amman-Baghdad route.

Jordan and Iraq reopened the Karameh-Turaibil border crossing in September after it was closed since the summer of 2015 for security reasons.

More recent news reports have quoted Iraqi officials as saying the road is completely secured now. 

The trade exchange between Jordan and Iraq through land crossings had stopped completely since the summer of 2015 due to security concerns as terrorist groups posed a direct threat to truck drivers and shipments, dropping from JD915 million in 2014 to JD533 million and JD353 million during the years 2015 and 2016, respectively.