Ford Rangers – Desert Transport of Choice in Afghanistan
Tens of thousands of Ford trucks are used to transport troops across the tough terrain of the Middle East.
For freelance reporter Courtney Body, anything resembling American goods in the Middle East is probably a bit weird. So, you can imagine her surprise when she spotted a Ford Ranger in Iraq recently. The mid-size pickup sported full-on desert paint and on its door, an Afghan army sticker.
Body spent six and a half years in Afghanistan covering the war, so she immediately recognized the emblem.
“It was definitely a moment where I had to remind myself where I was, and question how in the world that vehicle ended up outside of Mosul in Iraq,” Body tells Task & Purpose. And this fish out of water scenario made us wonder: How did this thoroughly American truck wind up in the desert to begin with?
Turns out, it isn’t alone. T&P reached out to the U.S. Army and discovered that thousands of them were provided to the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police up until 2012. Approximately 31,000 Ford Rangers got there via Global Fleet Sales, an authorized Ford dealer, according to an Army press release. With 10,000 more earmarked to hit the sand after them. Afghan security forces routinely shuttle soldiers and police officers around the country using the trucks.
Even though the Ranger exists as a truly global vehicle sold around the world, it’s still pretty interesting to see it used in such a manner. And it looks like the once compact pickup has grown up in more ways than one.
