A study by a British researcher found that the roads built in Iraq with US funding contributed to the increase of violence in the country between 2006 and 2013, a result contrary to the goal of Washington to finance programs to build roads in Iraq as part of the reconstruction of the war-weary country and armed groups and sectarian unrest .

According to a study by researcher Tamar Gomez presented at a conference of the European Economic Association two months ago, while increasing the length of the road network in Iraq by 21% between 2002 and 2011 to increase the gross domestic product of the country, it also led to an increase in the number of attacks It targeted transiters on newly constructed roads with US funding.

The British researcher explains that the reason behind the targeting of the new roads funded by the United States is in part because this infrastructure was used for military objectives in addition to the well-known service targets, which are the transport of people and goods, as America used those roads to transport its soldiers and equipment, which made it a target of attacks by armed groups And IEDs planted on its sides.

Appearance of occupation
The construction of new roads in Iraq with US funds has helped members of the armed groups to move quickly and launch attacks, the researcher adds Gomez that the insurgents saw the roads constructed with US funding as a manifestation of the American occupation of Iraq, and thus became a preferred target for these groups.

According to the British magazine "The Economist", which published a report on the study that the models of Iraqi roads risky road called the kilometer 10, the international highway linking Baghdad and the Jordanian capital Amman.

For many years, there have been attacks and bombings by armed gangs and militias, including the Islamic State, which has set up roadblocks and requires drivers to pay a $ 300 royalty.

Although Iraqi security forces have secured the highway, many truck drivers are still afraid of being kidnapped or attacked.

Volume of expenditure
The study by the British researcher, "Highways to Hell: Building roads in Iraq has increased the level of violence," that America spent 11.9 billion dollars between 2003 and 2013 on infrastructure projects in Iraq, including roads.

US, Iraqi troops secure highway near Baghdad after gunmen attack military vehicle (Getty Images)

The researcher focused on monitoring and studying the incidents of violence that occurred in Iraq since 2003 - the date of the US invasion of the country - until 2016, and linked them to road projects built with US funding, in order to find a relationship between the two.

The study benefited from the presence of the US-led coalition forces in Iraq to obtain detailed data on levels of violence and spending on road projects, particularly highways and large roads, and found a causal link between increased road network and higher incidents of violence in the period under study.

The researcher says that the political and military repercussions of the US-funded road projects exceeded their desired economic effects.

First, during the security and political turmoil in Iraq following the US invasion, the restored or newly built roads became preferred targets for armed groups.

Secondly, the construction of new roads in Iraq has increased the mobility of insurgents, thereby increasing the effectiveness and numbers of attacks they have carried out.

Third, spending on road projects has been damaged by widespread corruption and bribery in Iraq, depriving Iraqis of the economic benefits of these investments.