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Petraeus Makes Surprise Border Visit

By Gina Chon

Some Iranians standing in line to enter Iraq at the Zurbatiya border crossing late this morning received greetings from a surprise visitor — Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

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Gen. David Petraeus, in dark jacket, visited the Zurbatiyah border crossing Wednesday.

Gen. Petraeus stopped to talk with several Iranians as he toured the border crossing as part of a trip to Wasit province Wednesday. He first chatted with one man who could speak some English, which he said he learned while living in Canada several years ago. He told the four-star general that he was headed to Najaf, one of the holiest cities in Shia Islam, where many Shiites spend the Muslim holiday of Ashura.

“Iraq could use the business,” Gen. Petraeus told him. The man smiled but still seemed unsure of the identity of the slight man in the American military uniform. As Gen. Petraeus walked on, his military translator told the Iranian the visitor was “General Petraeus.” His eyes lit up with recognition and surprise.

Thousands of Iranians are traveling to Iraq this week for Ashura. The border crossing at Zurbatiya has a daily limit of 1,500 people, and it’s been seeing an average of 1,400 for several months.

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Trucks lined up for inspections at the Zurbatiyah border crossing Wednesday.

In addition to travelers, some 250 cargo trucks pass through the crossing each day. Most Iranian trucks are not allowed into Iraq, so when a shipment needs to transit the border, an empty Iraqi truck has to cross to the Iranian side and pick up the items to bring them back across the border. Several military officials noted that the commercial flow is mostly from Iran into Iraq, as opposed to the other way around; most items, including food and household supplies, are imported to Iraq from Iran and other countries. Lt. Col. Patrick Kilroy of the Region Three Border Transition Team said his colleagues and the Iraqis were working on expanding inspection capabilities.

One exception to the entry rules applies to fuel trucks. Crude oil is exported to Iran, refined there and then imported back into Iraq in the form of gasoline and other oil-related products. Ninety-five percent of the fuel tanker drivers are Iranian.

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