Militants lay siege to Iraq's largest oil refinery
Source: AP-Excite
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
BAGHDAD (AP) Islamic militants laid siege to Iraq's largest oil refinery Wednesday, threatening a facility key to the country's domestic supplies as part of their ongoing offensive north of the capital, a top security official said.
The attack follows last week's capture by militants of wide swaths of territory in northern Iraq and comes as the specter of the sectarian warfare that nearly tore the country apart in 2006 and 2007 now haunting those trying to decide how to respond.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said its diplomats were investigating claims that militants abducted 60 foreign construction workers, including some 15 Turks, near the oil city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
Fighters of the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began their attack on the Beiji refinery, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, late Tuesday night, the security official said. The attack continued into Wednesday morning, with fighters targeting it with mortar shells. A small fire started on the facility's periphery, he said.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140618/ml-iraq-dc745c6f99.html
In this Tuesday, June 17, 2014 photo, Iraqi Shiite tribal fighters raise their weapons and chant slogans against the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, after authorities urged Iraqis to help battle insurgents, in Baghdad's Sadr city, Iraq. Thousands of Shiites from Baghdad and across southern Iraq answered an urgent call to arms Saturday, joining security forces to fight the Islamic militants who have captured large swaths of territory north of the capital and now imperil a city with a much-revered religious shrine. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)Islamist-led militants have invaded Iraq's biggest oil refinery, after pounding it with mortars and machine guns from two directions.
An official quoted by Reuters said the militants now controlled 75% of the Baiji refinery, 210km (130 miles) north of Baghdad.
Government forces have made new air strikes on militants advancing towards the capital.
Fighting is also reported in the western city of Ramadi.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27897648
Twenty1first
(32 posts)I believe the is a city of Ramadi is under attack in central Iraq, about 110 kilometers (68 mi) west of Baghdad.
Twenty1first
(32 posts)ISIS will not go into Baghdad, that would be a suicide for them, and would gain zero for what they have gained in the south, that said, they would would want to control areas that have link with shia area with Baghdad....mainly the link with south
Snarkoleptic
(5,995 posts)And it was my understanding they wanted a Sunni-ruled country in Northwestern Iraq and Southeastern Syria.
Twenty1first
(32 posts)going into Baghdad has little significance, but to steer up the Sunnis and shia to come out off the city out off fear..that's all....it would play the hands of Maliki to create shia malitia within the army
bemildred
(90,061 posts)It blows up all by itself sometimes.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)Igel
(35,197 posts)Iraq exports oil. Not gasoline. Not anything refined. That's mostly for local production (otherwise it would be near a port). Can't rule out that they sell some regionally--perhaps to Jordan, Syria, or Iran.
Disrupting the refinery would cause the Iraqi government to need to increase refined petroleum products and increase their spot prices in the markets, but wouldn't do much for per-barrel oil prices. It would also make it much harder for the Shi'ites to mount an effective offense since an army runs on fuel.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)Oh noes! Not ze thoughtful analysis of a strategy to which I wasn't giving any consideration! Now i'll have to tamp down my smart-ass . . . Hard.
Thanks for the correction.
Twenty1first
(32 posts)If you look at Libya and their oil output, the insurgents are doing better job, they added 550 mbd that you have not heard from msm. Oil is every one's interest, revenue that government and others would need benefit from. indeed those that speculate prices in New york and London are the benefit from chaos hearsay middle east.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)you said the oil would pay for the war. Who's getting paid? When will they get paid? You lying SOS!!!! All those lives squandered for your PNAC fantasies. For what???!!!!! And what get's me is that people in this country still would vote, even with all this proof of RW malfeasance, for these fucking clowns who are on the tube blaming Obama for this fustercluck. geez The RW politics of this country and it's RW citizens are truly disgusting. to add: at least no american soldiers are dying in this latest example from the "lie war" that was "mission accomplished". Thank Obama for this fact.
Javaman
(62,444 posts)After all the oil industry was de-nationalized and sold off part and parcel to the corporations thanks to george w. moron*.
even though we don't get a drop of Iraqi oil, be prepared for the price at the pump going up if they destroy a good portion of the oil refinery infrastructure.
I predict, if they do in fact do some serious damage, within the week we will see the first U.S. drone strikes.
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)NEW DELHI: Forty Indian employees stranded in violence-hit Iraq are "uncontactable", the foreign ministry said Wednesday, with a newspaper reporting the construction workers have been kidnapped.
A ministry spokesman said he could not confirm the report in the Times of India that insurgents have abducted the 40 workers in the northern city of Mosul amid a deteriorating security situation.
"Despite our best efforts at this stage we haven't been able to contact them. So they remain uncontactable at this stage," said spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.
"Beyond that I am not able to confirm or verify reports of a speculative nature (kidnapping)," Akbaruddin added.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/40-indians-in-northern/1174292.html
Igel
(35,197 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Botany
(70,291 posts)Twenty1first
(32 posts)that man killed 4300 American serviceman, and over 500K Iraqis......over a lie
Botany
(70,291 posts)and don't forget Dick Cheney lied time after time to start that war in order to
make money ...... w, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfdowitz, and so on were planning
their Iraq War even before the supreme court took the election from Al Gore.