U.S. military briefly closes Baghdad airspace due to 'credible threat'

U.S. military briefly closes Baghdad airspace due to 'credible threat'

2011-08-31 02:40:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

BAGHDAD (BNO NEWS) -- Airspace over the Iraqi capital of Baghdad was briefly closed on Tuesday afternoon due to a 'credible' threat to aircraft, the U.S. military said. Few details were released.

The closure of Baghdad airspace was ordered by U.S. forces in Iraq, resulting in the temporary closure of Baghdad International Airport. "The airspace in Baghdad was temporarily closed this afternoon due to a credible indirect fire attempt for about an hour," said U.S. military spokeswoman Angela Funaro.

Funaro gave no specific details about the threat, but said the decision was taken for the safety of its personnel and the Iraqi public. "Because of the proximity of the commercial airport in Baghdad to our air base, we have the authority to impose flight restrictions until we investigate and eliminate any threats," she added.

It was not immediately known how many flights were affected by the closure, but the website of Baghdad International Airport showed a number of afternoon flights which had been canceled or delayed.

Baghdad International Airport is the largest airport in Iraq, located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) west of downtown Baghdad. In November 2003, a European Air Transport aircraft, operating on behalf of DHL Aviation, was hit by a missile shortly after take-off from Baghdad International Airport. The crew of three was able to make an emergency landing and survived the attack.

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