An Iraqi oil pipeline was on fire today following an explosion, the sixth in the country in two weeks, a senior Iraqi oil official said.
"Early this morning another explosion damaged a pipeline near Al-Fatha near the River Tigris," Mr Adal Al-Kazaz, director general of Iraq's Northern Oil Company, said. "I expect the incident to be another act of sabotage".
He said the pipeline was carrying crude oil to Baiji refinery, 260 kilometres north of Baghdad, and that the fire was still burning in the damaged pipeline.
Today's damage followed a blast on a crude pipeline on Tuesday near Barwanah. That pipeline carries crude to al-Daura refinery in Baghdad.
Mr Kazaz said oil pumping had been suspended through the 0.375-inch pipeline near Barwanah, which links Kirkuk oilfields with Daura refinery in Baghdad.
He did not know exactly when the pipeline would be repaired but said it would take some time to fix it. It exploded and caught fire on Tuesday and this was blamed on unknown saboteurs.
Iraq's de facto oil minister, Mr Thamir Ghadhban, said on Tuesday the spate of attacks would hit crude supplies to refineries and electricity generation, but should not affect oil output, which is still around a quarter of pre-war levels.