The Insurgents Are Evil, Not Stupid

They've apparently attacked a Baghdad water plant in the height of summer in the desert:

A mortar attack sparked a fire Friday that forced authorities to shut down a water plant, leaving millions of weary Baghdad residents with dry taps in 100-degree heat, Iraqi officials said.

Just a day earlier, the mayor of the capital threatened to quit because of mounting infrastructure problems - including a lack of clean drinking water.

The blaze at a power station north of Baghdad cut off electricity to a water plant serving northern and western parts of the capital, officials said. The fire halted all distribution from the waterworks, and project director Jassim Mohammed said repairs could take three days.

The U.S. military press office initially quoted Iraqi engineers as saying the fire was triggered by a defective transformer. However, an Iraqi municipal official said at least two mortar rounds struck the power station. Mohammed also attributed the fire to an attack.

A U.S. spokesman for Task Force Baghdad, Master Sgt. Greg Kaufman, said later that unexploded ordnance was found in the area but "we're still not sure" what triggered the fire.