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Page added on May 30, 2013
Iraq says it averted al Qaeda tanker truck attack on major oil site
Iraq foiled an al Qaeda plot to use tanker trucks packed with explosives to attack a key Baghdad oil facility, a senior security official and oil sources said.
The security official declined to name the facility because the investigation was underway but oil ministry officials said the security forces were on high alert following a spate of attacks on a northern pipeline.
Protecting infrastructure for the world’s fourth largest oil reserves is crucial for Iraq as it rebuilds an industry battered by years of war following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and sanctions against former ruler Saddam Hussein.
“We have arrested a key local leader of al Qaeda who organised the plan to launch a major attack against a large oil facility in Baghdad,” a senior anti-terrorism official said.
The security source said insurgents planned to pack explosives into tankers transporting crude oil from southern Basra oilfields to the main oil storage depots inside the major oil facility of Baghdad, where the bombs would be detonated.
“They were planning to put in explosives and booby-trap more than one oil tanker,” he said.
Baghdad oil facilities include the large Doura refinery, East Baghdad oilfield, which currently has limited production of around 10,000 barrels per day to feed Doura, and a gas facility just north of the capital.
Militants often target security forces, and Shi’ite and Sunni mosques, but attacks on major oil sites beyond pipeline bombings are rarer.
A key pipeline from Iraq’s northern oilfields around Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan has been repeatedly attacked by militants over the last month.
Gunmen attacked a gas field operated by Korea Gas Company in April, killing three local contractors.
Violence has spiked since the start of the year as al Qaeda’s local wing, the Islamic State of Iraq, and other Sunni Islamist insurgents stepped up attacks to try to stoke a widescale sectarian conflict.
Iraq expects to boost its oil output to rival the level of top producer Saudi Arabia after awarding some of its most attractive oilfields to global oil companies, including BP, Shell and Exxon Mobil.
5 Comments on "Iraq says it averted al Qaeda tanker truck attack on major oil site"
Plantagenet on Thu, 30th May 2013 7:48 pm
Now that Qatar and the EU are funding, supporting and arming al Qaida in Syria, it is inevitable that neighboring countries will also see an upswing in activity from al Qaida.
Arthur on Thu, 30th May 2013 8:06 pm
“Now that Qatar and the EU are funding, supporting and arming al Qaida in Syria”
You are confusing Britain and France with the EU. The old Middle-Eastern colonial powers Britain and France are the main force in Europe behind arming the Jihadists; Germany, Canada, Russia and others are opposed to it.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/29/syrias-opposition-eu/2368503/
“Britain and France favor arming the rebels, but have no immediate plans to do so”
Maybe this is all a threat in order to put the Syrian government under pressure for the upcoming talks in Geneva.
DC on Fri, 31st May 2013 1:29 am
Correction:Actually, Arthur, Canadas US corporate puppet govt is not in the least bit interested in peace in the middle east. The harper regime has been very…very supportive of the US global war of terror, and literally salivates any time the US starts talking about a new war, or even old ones. Now most citizens in Canada, are opposed to the harpers war-mongering ways, but hes in ‘charge’ and he gets his marching orders from Washington.
Russia and others-yes, genuine opposition to US wars, but in Canada, the official position is unwavering slobbering love for any and all US wars.
BillT on Fri, 31st May 2013 4:26 am
If you think it is bad now, just wait. The Middle East is just going to blow up soon and drag everyone into it.
Arthur on Fri, 31st May 2013 12:38 pm
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-eu-at-odds-over-arming-syrian-rebels/article12217039/
Canada, EU at odds over arming Syrian rebels
The Harper government is telling its European allies that arming rebels in Syria is a mistake, warning that the step will lead to “more death and more destruction.”
The European Union’s decision to end an embargo on sending arms to Syria has underlined that the Western world is divided over how to deal with the country’s violence. Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird insisted the differences won’t strain ties with some of Canada’s closest NATO allies, even as the United States expressed support for the EU’s position.
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P.S. Canada is better than you think, DC 😉