Iraq power line bombed by insurgents

BAIJI, Iraq, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Saboteurs brought down a power line, cutting all electricity from the northern town of Baiji, Iraq, to areas south, an Electricity Ministry spokesman said.

Saturday's incident is the latest in attacks on Iraq's power sector, which have hampered reconstruction and an increase in the quality of life for Iraqis.

Aziz al-Shimari, the spokesman, told the Voice of Iraq news agency "an act of sabotage" took down the tower "carrying electricity between Baiji and west of Baghdad areas."

He added: "Power was completely cut off in this area."

"The tower was bombed by an improvised explosive device," he said, though he didn't divulge details of where exactly the tower was located.

He said security in the area would determine when the line would be repaired, including coordinating between his ministry and the Ministry of Defense.

At least 1,211 workers in Iraq's power sector have been targeted like their colleagues in oil, according to an assessment from March 2003 to Nov. 17, 2007, made for United Press International by an expert in threats and vulnerabilities to the energy sector worldwide.

There have been 651 attacks on distribution and transmission lines and towers, 66 attacks on thermal power stations, five on hydroelectric power stations and 13 on power substations.