Baghdad, Aug 16: Firefighters were today trying to extinguish a blaze on Iraq's key Baiji Oil pipeline to Turkey, the US Army said. "They have contained it but are still fighting it," said Lieutenant Colonel Bill Macdonald of the Fourth Infantry Division, speaking from the town of Tikrit.

He said the cause of the fire, which broke out early yesterday, was under investigation, adding that engineers were seeking to bypass the burning section to get the oil flowing again. But he said he could not confirm that oil was now flowing through it.

Bureau Report