Reports from the Red Cross and refugees have spoken of cluster-bomb raids on the heavily traveled road that links Baghdad and the Jordanian border at Ruweishid.

Alcatel recently began work on a $75 million contract to build an international telephone exchange and a microwave telephone system linking Baghdad with the nation's central and southern provinces.

The city is flanked to the north by one of the military's favorite geographic features, a highway, in this case the expressway linking Baghdad to Jordan.

The soldiers were near the town of Habbaniya, in a support convoy traveling on the major highway linking Baghdad with western Iraq and Jordan.

At the same time, the German Empire was planning to build a railway which would ultimately link Baghdad with Berlin, which was planned to terminate in Kuwait.

One of the principal alliances linked Baghdad with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.

The airline was established in 2004, with the first flight having been operated on behalf of Iraqi Airways, linking Baghdad with Basra.

Thomas went on to establish a steamer service on the Tigris linking Baghdad with India.

Mr. Cheney said at that time that there was no evidence linking Baghdad to the terrorist attacks in America.

Even today, stretches of the 600-mile desert highway that links Baghdad and Amman were busy with fuel tankers.