SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi authorities said on Thursday “terrorist” groups had attacked several electrical transmission towers in Saladin province, according to Iraqi media.
A police source told national Iraqi news agency that three power towers had been destroyed in Telol al-Baj district in south of Mosul, depriving residents in the area of electricity.
Maintenance teams alongside police had gone to the area to repair the damaged towers, the source said.
Director of Telol al-Baj district Hatem al-Shammari told Shafaq News that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were used to attack the towers.
Shafaq news cited officials in Saladin province as saying that dozens of transmission towers in the governorate had been attacked by Islamic State (ISIS) militants or other groups in the past weeks.
Recently, ISIS militants have increased attacks on the transmission towers in different areas in Iraq.
Last week, they exploded several towers in Kirkuk province.
Iraq’s national security adviser Qasim al-Araji visited Kirkuk on Wednesday to discuss and intensify efforts to protect the transmission towers in the province.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said last week that the hours of power supply had reduced due to “repeated and intentional targeting of electrical towers in a number of provinces”.
In an attempt to limit the targeting of energy towers, the federal government has decided to use drones to protect the towers and identify the parties behind the attacks.
