The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals announced Friday (July 13th) that the Fallujah bridge has been re-opened, one year after its destruction by al-Qaeda.

A year ago, a truck bomb and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) attached to the interior pillars "almost completely destroyed the bridge", ministry spokesperson Murtada al-Musawi told Al-Shorfa.

He said the Turkish company Tor Sinai re-built the bridge at a cost of 1.2 billion dinars ($1 million).

The new bridge on the Euphrates River is 450 metres long and 22 metres wide, with two lanes in each direction and paths for pedestrians. Commercial convoys from neighbouring countries will now easily be able to cross the bridge, which had been previously restricted to small trucks, he said.

Also on Friday, traffic resumed on Iraq's International Highway, which has been detoured since bridge attack, al-Musawi added.