Massive blast disrupts Iraqi oil exports

Iraq's northern oil exports were dealt a massive blow when a vital pipeline toTurkey was hit by its largest post-war attack, halting exports only days after Iraqclinched its first term contract. The pipeline with Turkey was shut down on Thursday, said Ahmad Hassan Ghafif, head of security for gas and oil pipelines in northern Iraq. "The Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline targeted this afternoon is about 40-inches wide and today's attack can be considered the biggest since sabotages started a year and a half ago," he added. "The explosion cannot be controlled because the pipeline was working at full power and there are large quantities of oil in it," he added. Ghafif said that the whole oil-rich city of Kirkuk was engulfed in a thick cloud of black smoke and predicted 48 to 72 hours were needed to extinguish the blaze. [more ]