Suicide Bomber Detonates Oil Tanker Truck, Disrupting Critical Transport Route

[babylonsister]

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3918/Stretegic_Bridge_Bombed_North_of_Baghdad

Strategic Bridge Bombed North of Baghdad
Suicide Bomber Detonates Oil Tanker Truck, Disrupting Critical Transport Route


Insurgents hit a bridge north of Baghdad on Tuesday, using a suicide bomber at the wheel of an oil tanker truck to destroy the span, plunging cars and people into the canal waters below. Ten people are reported dead and six more missing.

The Thiraa Dijla bridge in Taji links Baghdad to Mosul, and was reportedly a strategic asset to the US, which relied on it for supply transport.

The bridge was damaged by a previous attack in May and was only operating with one of its lanes when Tuesday's suicide bomber attacked.

The attacker detonated his payload after going through an Iraqi army checkpoint about 40 yards away from the span, according to the AP.

"The blast, that took place in the middle of the bridge, caused a part of the bridge to collapse," a police source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The explosion set a number of nearby vehicles ablaze," he also said.

The area was cordoned off by Iraqi and US security forces as rescue operations began. The New York Times reports US troops and divers were recovering bodies from the water soon after the explosion.

[billyoc]

1. "This war will practically pay for itself..."

:eyes:

[DS1]

2. Yes, but that's only one so far this week

/Laura Bush

[rodeodance]

3. amazing that such a crucial bridge was not heavily guarded.

Or maybe someone just looked the other way?