http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-12T152331Z_01_MAC253701_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-AIRPORT-COL.XMLUS warns of Baghdad airport "security incident"
Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:23 AM EST
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A "security incident" at Baghdad airport prompted the U.S. embassy to bar employees from using commercial flights on Sunday.
Unconfirmed reports from private security contractors in the Iraqi capital said explosives had been found before they were loaded onto a commercial airline flight on Saturday. But Iraq's Transport Ministry flatly denied any such incident took place.
The British-based firm which runs security at the airport said it would issue a statement later.
The airport is Baghdad's main link with the outside world because of the dangers of road travel.
"As the result of a recent security incident at the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), the U.S. Embassy is prohibiting outgoing travel by all U.S. government employees on commercial airlines departing BIAP until further notice," the embassy said in a consular notice distributed in Baghdad.