Attack on fuel pipeline south of Baghdad

HILLA, Iraq - An oil pipeline feeding Al-Dura refinery south of Baghdad was blown up Tuesday near Jorf al-Sakhr, 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of the capital, an Iraqi oil official said.
"Unknown assailants placed explosives on the 'strategic' pipeline," said Muayyed al-Shemmari, a local oil official.
The blast occurred at 1 pm (1000 GMT) and firemen were called to the scene, Shemmari said.
It was not immediately clear how the rupture would affect the Dura refinery, which feeds a neighboring power plant that supplies electricity to Baghdad.
In recent months insurgents have intensified their attacks on Iraq's oil infrastructure, targeting crucial pipeline sections and vehicle convoys carrying fuel.

03/08/2005 13:41 GMT