Iraqi forces close Bashiqa-Bardarash mere hours after opening

BARDARASH, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi forces briefly reopened the road between Bashiqa and Bardarash, but quickly closing it again, leaving drivers flummoxed and upset. 

The route between Duhok and Nineveh provinces northeast of Mosul was closed after the October 16 events when Iraqi forces took control of the majority of the disputed areas. 

There are six official roads between Duhok and Mosul, but only one is open. The Bashiqa route was going to be the second and commuters quickly took advantage of shaving an hour off their route, but it did not last long. 

Najim Abdullah, deputy commander of the Bashiqa Front, speculated that the Iraqi forces closed it again because of the election.