Campaign continues to remove trespasses on national grid

WASSIT / IraqiNews.com: The electricity department in Wassit has confiscated 4,500 meters of electrical wiring as part of a campaign to remove trespasses on the national power grid. “In cooperation with the electricity police in the province, the campaign was launched in early September by technical teams and engineers from the local department,” the head of the department, Eng. Hashem Ali Jaafar, told IraqiNews.com news agency. Power supplies in Iraq have been sporadic since the second Gulf War when the U.S.-led coalition destroyed the electricity infrastructure during operations to drive Saddam Hussein’s regime out of neighboring Kuwait. The shortages became even worse in the aftermath of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion because of insurgent sabotage, rising demand and fuel shortages. Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of Baghdad. SS (P)/SR 1