US Marine Jets Bomb 2 Bridges in Iraq

U.S. Marine Jets Bomb Two Bridges in Iraq
Tuesday September 6, 2005 9:16 AM
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. Marine jets Tuesday destroyed two bridges across the Euphrates River near the Syrian border to prevent insurgents from using them to move foreign fighters and munitions into major cities, the U.S. command said.

The attacks occurred a day after U.N. chief Kofi Annan said Iraq had become an even greater terrorist center than the former Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Attacks attributed to al-Qaida's wing in Iraq have increased in the Baghdad area and western Iraq.

A Marine statement said F/A-18 jets dropped bombs shortly after midnight on two light bridges near Karabilah, about 185 miles west of Baghdad.

``The purpose of the strike was to prevent al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists from using the structures,'' the U.S. statement said. ``The munitions used in the strike were designed to crater the bridges, rendering them inoperable but not destroying them.''

Karabilah is one of a cluster of towns near the Syrian border, a major infiltration route for foreign fighters heading for Baghdad and other major cities. Iraqi officials say al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has taken over parts of the area after local residents fled fighting between tribes supporting and opposing the insurgents.

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