Thwarting a major operation to blow up Kirkuk’s electricity towers
Thwarting a major operation to blow up Kirkuk’s electricity towers
01/23/2021 15:35
[Kirkuk-Where]
On Saturday, the Military Intelligence in Kirkuk thwarted an attempt to blow up transmission towers in the south of the province.
The intelligence said in a statement, that the detachments of the Military Intelligence Division in the 8th Division and the Intelligence of the 31st Infantry Brigade, managed to thwart a major operation targeting the electric power transmission towers in the Turklan area near the industrial district, south of Kirkuk.
She added that the detachments seized the bombs and bombs prepared in the form of explosive devices to blow up the towers, after they were hidden in a farm, which ISIS members intended to place under the towers to detonate them.
The intelligence indicated that the operation was qualitative and proactive, characterized by the accuracy of the intelligence information and the speed of action.
On 19 January, the Ministry of Electricity announced that large parts of power distribution lines and stations were out of service due to a series of attacks that affected towers, transmission lines and stations in four governorates, referring to financial losses estimated at about six billion Iraqi dinars.
The ministry said, in a statement, that “large and systematic targeting of towers, transmission lines, and transmission stations in Diyala, Kirkuk, Jurf al-Sakhar and al-Qaim,” indicating that this comes “at a time when the Ministry’s cadres and its employees are making great efforts to provide the best services from electric energy to citizens.” .
She explained, “Terrorism is once again spreading sabotage by targeting towers and transmission lines for high-pressure 400 kV electric power, and mobile stations 33/132 in the governorates of Diyala, Kirkuk, Karbala, Babil and Anbar.”
The ministry added that the targeting affected the transport lines on the evening of Monday, January 18, 2021, indicating that “the targeting of the lines led to the separation of the Kirkuk – Mansouriya gas line 400 kV from both sides after the fall of Tower No. 131, and the separation of the Diyala – Kirkuk line 400 kV. After the fall of Tower No. (235-237), and three vehicles were burned in Diyala by the terrorist organization ISIS, after clashing with a police force and threatening its workers, arresting them and releasing them after hours.
This also led, according to the ministry’s statement, to “the separation of the eastern Karbala-Museeb thermal line and the fall of towers in the Jurf al-Sakhar / Hor Hussein area.”
“Based on this sabotage, large parts of power transmission and distribution lines and stations in the governorates of Nineveh and Kirkuk, as well as larger parts in Diyala and Salah al-Din governorates, have gone out, and the districts of Qarataba and Jalawla are completely extinguished,” she said.
And she pointed out that “these combined acts of burning mobile phones and bringing down the towers led to financial losses estimated at about six billion Iraqi dinars.”
alliraqnews.com
