Driving Down "Route Irish"

This is an interesting story from CentCom, on what was once called “the most dangerous road in the world” in Iraq:

...has come a long way in the past year. In 2004 and much of 2005, Route Irish from Baghdad International Airport was a true gauntlet, besieged with improvised exploding devices and small-arms ambushes by western Baghdad’s worst insurgents. But joint operations in early 2006 by 3rd Infantry Division and Iraqi Army troops — and a concerted effort since by some 101st Airborne and Iraqi National Police units to keep the area clear — have brought incidents down to nothing. Security in a Route Irish convoy is as tight as ever, but these days the drivers, who’ve been making this run since the beginning, will tell you they’re always ready for trouble but no longer expecting any.