Coalition officials in Iraq boasted to reporters months ago that commercial airlines were lining up to fly into Baghdad International Airport. But the rush to capture that market has ground to a halt in the face of a nightmare scenario envisioned by US officials, airline executives, and insurance companies: a shoulder-fired missile striking a commercial jet in midair. Leave aside the bombings, mortar attacks, and gunfire that punctuate daily life in Iraq. Officials have become increasingly anxious about a possible airline disaster since Nov. 2, when a missile shot down a 10-ton US Army Chinook helicopter, killing 16 soldiers. The troops were on their way home for their first break in more than seven months. Amid the helicopter wreckage and bodies at the crash site near Fallujah, about 30 miles west of Baghdad International, or BIAP (BUY-ap) as coalition officials have dubbed it, lay the dream of starting commercial flights any time soon. Full Story
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