A bomb has been found on a commercial flight in Iraq, the US embassy said this morning.
The improvised device was found last night, a spokeswoman said. She declined to give further details but said security arrangements were tightened at Baghdad International Airport.
It was not clear whether the bomb targeted a passenger or cargo flight, but the embassy renewed a warning to US citizens to reconsider plans to travel by commercial airline to Baghdad.
Transformed into a US military base on the fall of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad airport has yet to see a resumption of normal traffic, partly due to attacks on aircraft in flight.
It was closed to civilians for a week until November 15th during a US offensive against guerrillas in the nearby city of Fallujah.
Iraqi Airways, returning to business after years in mothballs, and Royal Jordanian Airlines operate Iraq's only scheduled passenger flights, between Baghdad and the Jordanian capital Amman, about an hour's flying time away.
With bombs and kidnap gangs a major threat on Iraq's roads, international travellers have little choice but to fly.