Iraq Domestic Pipelines on Fire After Sabotage

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031021/wl_nm/iraq_pipelines_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

BAIJI, Iraq (Reuters) - A pipeline fire in northern Iraq was still ablaze Tuesday, a day after a sabotage attack on pipelines that feed a Baghdad refinery and power station.

Iraqi Lt. Col. Khalid Mohammed Rashid, who works for a force protecting key installations, told reporters there had been an explosion Monday afternoon a few miles south of the Baiji oil refinery, about 120 miles north of Baghdad.

"What happened was sabotage," he said. "There is a group of pipes, four of them, all going in one direction. They (saboteurs) blew up only one and the other three caught fire from the first one."

Rashid said one of the pipelines takes gas to Baghdad's Daura refinery, while the two oil pipelines feed one of the capital's power plants. The fourth pipeline carries liquefied petroleum gas.

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[DoYouEverWonder]

1. One of the main reasons for invading Iraq

was because of the high quality of the oil (light sweet crude) and how cheap it was to get it out of the ground (about a dollar a barrel, compared to $4 a barrel in Saudi). However, the brilliant neocons forgot to figure in the daily acts of sabatoge that the Iraqi Resistance would inflict on the miles and miles of above ground pipelines. Seems that Israel will never be secure, nor will they ever get the oil from Iraq that they so desperatlely need to maintain their standard of living.

[havocmom]

2. some of the neocons may have figured on attacks on pipelines

Question: Does Halliburton stand to steal more from the US Treasury if there are more oil fires for it to put out?

The news of late makes me keep my :tinfoilhat: handy

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. The most important thing for the oil industry

is to keep oil flowing. Everything they do is based on that philosophy. They only make money when the oil flows.

As for Halliburton, they've got plenty of other stuff to keep themselves busy bankrupting the US economy, like oppressing the Iraqi people with their private security forces.

[Maeve]

3. This is becoming a "standing story"

Details differ, dates differ, new verse, old song.

Nothing like great security....

[cliss]

5. I agree.

I know it's an ongoing concern here at DU; whether Helliburton stands to profit from having the oil pipeline blown up on a regular basis, or do they want to see the oil flowing? Which one will it be?

It's got to be the oil. It's true that they've already got contracts to repair the oil pipeline and they are for sure making money on that, but their business is selling oil. They have already made plans for it. I suspect they did not expect this to happen.

and...I also suspect that the Iraqis are planning to blow it up on a regular basis. The pipeline runs for 900 miles. That's an awful lot of pipeline to guard....

[Zhade]

6. Gee, what a...shame?

Huh. Kinda mixed feelings on this.

...

I do regret the environmental damage being caused! And...uh...

[The Magistrate]

7. Soon, My Friend

Operating under the "man bites dog" principle, it will only be news when the oil has flowed for a day or two.