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 ]
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