Bomb explodes under Iraq oil pipeline

A bomb exploded today beneath an oil pipeline that supplies Baghdad’s Dora oil refinery with crude from stores south of the capital, police said.

The blast took place at 2pm (11am Irish time) in the town of Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, police Capt. Rashid al-Samarai said.

He said the pipeline originated from oil storage site in Latifiya, a few miles to the south.

Iraqi troops and police forces blocked the site of the blast, where a fire raged nearly an hour after the explosion, witnesses said.

Insurgents frequently target pipelines, disrupting supplies to power plants or cutting exports.