IED defused in Thi-Qar

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: Thi-Qar security forces defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the railway coming from Basra to Baghdad , according to a Thi-Qar Police Department’s statement on Sunday. “The 5th Emergency Contingent and the Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) forces defused an IED that was planted on the railway line linking the city of al-Nassiriya to the southern Iraq port province of Basra ,” read the statement as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The charge was mortar shells of 60 mm. caliber that were tied together to a timer. The bomb squad managed to dismantle the IED,” it added. Another statement said that the 2nd Emergency Contingent forces, acting upon intelligence tip-offs, seized 23 anti-armor rockets. The same squad had seized eight cannon shells of 130 mm. caliber and two mortar shells of 60 mm. caliber near the village of al-Niyaz, north of al-Nassiriya. Nassiriya, the capital city of Thi-Qar province, lies 380 km south of Baghdad . AmR (P)/SR 1