“A team was formed in light of the information, coordinated with the First Division of the Federal Police. The attempt was thwarted and 8 bombs planted on the four pillars of the tower were seized and dismantled through a technical effort,” Iraq’s security media cell said on Tuesday.
According to the cell, the tower was one of the main transmission lines connecting Baghdad with the Quds electricity station.
Spokesperson to the Coalition Colonel Wayne Marotto also mentioned the attack, saying the attempt “could have blacked out large segments of Baghdad. All to cause an economic crisis in Iraq & threaten the lives of innocent Iraqis.”
The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed dozens of attacks on Iraq’s electricity grid and threatened other vital infrastructure in its weekly propaganda magazine al-Nabaa, published Thursday.
ISIS claimed to have demolished 68 electricity towers in Iraq, mostly in disputed areas between Erbil and Baghdad as well as in the north and west.
Last Sunday, a military spokesperson said at least 44 electricity pylons have been targets of recent terror attacks. Security forces in Diyala province killed one suspected terrorist as he was trying to blow up electricity pylons last Monday.
During a visit to the electricity ministry on Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that the issue of electricity does not have a quick solution, however, the government is attempting to implement solutions in the fastest possible way.
Iraq suffers from chronic electricity shortages, especially felt when summer temperatures reach over 50 degrees Celsius. This is caused by multiple factors, including poor government delivery of services, rampant corruption, terror attacks on the power grid, and Iran’s recent cuts of electricity and gas exports because of unpaid bills.
Recent attacks on electricity pylons contributed to a blackout that left millions in central and southern Iraq without power during a heatwave.
