SABOTEURS have struck a new blow to Iraq's vital oil industry, cutting exports to a third of their previous level. Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban confirmed blasts at a pipeline which fed storage tanks at Basra oil terminal in the Gulf.

Dozens of Iraqis today accused Fallujah police of handing over Shiite truck drivers to Sunni extremists who slaughtered them after they sought refuge at a police station.