The Power transmission towers war ignites popular anger, and repair contractors raise doubts

Shafaq News / Targeting and bombing power transmission towers in Saladin and Diyala's outskirts sparked public and political anger at security agencies, amid demands for protecting the towers and deter subversive perpetrators.

Member of the Parliamentary Committee for Security and Defense, MP Jassim al-Jbara, told Shafaq News Agency, "the reasons behind targeting the power transmission towers are confusing to the local public opinion. Is it a terrorist act, sabotage by parochial parties, or a security failure?"

Al-Jabbara pointed out, "Most of the targeted power transmission towers are on Saladin's borders with Baghdad, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Nineveh. All the areas of which are part of the security responsibilities. Strangely enough, the explosions do not often hit remote towers in isolated areas."

He called on ministries concerned with protecting towers to "adopt effective plans, reassure the people, and soothe concerns and mistrust caused by the recurrence of near-daily explosions of power transmission towers that harm no one but the citizen."

"The electricity war is a chronic tragedy that has been going on in Saladin for 15 years despite many demands and appeals," he said, surprised by, "the neglect of addressing the electricity crisis and the systemic attacks on energy towers at this very time."

As attacks on electric towers increased, destroying and damaging 24 towers on Saladin's border with Baghdad and Kirkuk, Saladin's Deputy Governor, Ismail Al-Haloub called for involving residents in protecting power transmission towers and maintaining security, describing what the governorate is experiencing as a systematic psychological attack, "The people should be involved in active security roles to prevent the targeting of towers, as there is a security failure to protect the power towers."

"Saladin is under a systematic psychological attack targeting the backbone of life in the governorate to affect the people for hidden reasons," Al-Haloub said, calling for deterring gangs of terrorism and sabotage aimed at the comfort and stability of the citizen, despite the governorate's suffering from near-permanent denial of electricity.

He also added, "Saladin's people can protect power transmission towers, public properties, and all service joints, provided they are given the required security role and support."

Saladin MP Manar Abdul Mutalib Al-Shadidi confirmed that all the attacks targeted towers outside the governorate and within its border with northern Baghdad in the Tarmiya and Al-Mashahda areas, as well as the areas bordering Saladin with Kirkuk.

Al-Shadidi called for, "Accountability of residents close to the targeted towers and obliging them to pay towers' repair fines for not cooperating with the security forces," noting, "The towers that were targeted at the Saladin border, north of Baghdad, are close to fish and poultry farms and are in areas teeming with people, which gives rise to surprising signs of collusion with saboteurs."

"The targeting of electricity towers and the brutal war waged by terrorist and subversive gangs against energy towers are a systematic targeting of Saladin's officials, to undermine them politically and electorally as the elections approach, to sow electoral reluctance among citizens through the electricity war," she added, "There is a clear security failure to protect the power transmission towers. The security authorities should adopt effective and new plans to prevent the targeting of the lifeblood during the scorching summer."

In Diyala, a government official, who preferred to remain anonymous, described the attacks targeting power transmission towers in the governorate as "fabricated acts of sabotage", carried out by beneficiaries of repair and re-installation of large towers that are constantly being targeted, "Most of the attacks happened within secured areas and near where security units are located. So, the fact that the power transmission towers were targeted and attacks on them were not prevented is only surprising and suspicious."

The source called for accountability of beneficiaries for attacking the towers, especially since the attacks target large towers, the repairing cost of which reaches tens of millions of dinars.

"The security pressure on ISIS militants sometimes prompts them to carry out retaliatory attacks against power transmission towers to stir up public opinion against the government and the security services," the source added.

Power transmission towers in Diyala, Kirkuk, and Saladin have been attacked by explosive charges or medium-sized weapons for subversive or terrorist reasons.