It does appear there has been some ability to

The Battle for Oil-Rich Kirkuk
Published by Andy Rowell February 1st, 2007 in Oil, War, Iraq Tags: Iraq, Oil, War.

Interesting piece in today’s LA Times about the struggle for Kirkuk, the oil-rich town in northern Iraq. American officials, regional leaders and residents are increasingly worried that the town could develop into a third front in the country’s civil war.

All the different ethnic groups in the region - the Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens are all vying for control of this city and the region. At stake are land, water and of course, some of Iraq’s richest oil reserves.Everyone appears to be preparing for war, even though no one says they want it. “They are right when they call it a time bomb”, argues Sheik Abdul Rahman Obeidi, a prominent Sunni Arab leader in Kirkuk. “We will not leave, and we will not let anyone take Kirkuk. We are ready to fight. We hope we won’t have to, but we’re ready.”

Kurdish leaders, in turn, warn that they will take the city by law or by force. “People don’t have any more patience,” said Kurdish Councilman Rebwar Faiq Talabani, sitting in Kirkuk’s heavily fortified provincial council building. “They are telling the government, ‘If you can’t get our rights back, we’ll do it by ourselves.’ “

Neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran, fear that if the Kurds do gain control of Kirkuk, Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region would have the confidence and economic power based on oil to move toward independence. Against this backdrop of ethnic, political and regional tensions, Iraq’s new constitution mandates that a referendum on control of Kirkuk be held by the end of this year. If the vote goes ahead as scheduled, most analysts expect the Kurds to win.

If that happens the whole region could be destabalised, as Turkey for one, would not support it…
http://priceofoil.org/2007/02/01/the-battle-for-oil-rich-kirkuk/

Iraqi Crisis Report
Iraq home
Special Report: Oil and Corruption in Iraq
Tribes Sabotage Kirkuk Pipelines

Local tribes who reap massive profits from stolen oil are likely to obstruct the authorities’ attempts to protect pipelines.
By IWPR reporters in Kirkuk (ICR No. 232, 07-Sep-07)
Masked men infiltrate the village of al-Milih, 75 kilometres west of Kirkuk, and approach an oil pipeline that passes nearby. Under cover of darkness, they steal oil from an opening they drilled into the pipeline weeks earlier.
Over a period of weeks, this scene is repeated nightly.

Despite the presence of special oil ministry units, pipelines around Kirkuk are destroyed and hundreds of tonnes of oil stolen every day by tribe members from surrounding villages, such as al-Milih, Wadi Zghetun, al-Muradiyya, al-Saduniyya, al-Kanaina and al-Safra.
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Kirkuk now produces just 180,000 barrels a day. It could produce at least 400,000 more a day which, at current market prices, would net Iraq seven billion US dollars in revenue per year.

Over the second half of last year, one stretch of pipeline connecting Kirkuk with the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan - the main outlet for Iraq's northern oil exports - pumped oil for only 43 days. The rest of the time, the pipeline lay idle, leaking crude through dozens of holes drilled along its 320-km run through the Iraqi desert.

Another pipeline has been tapped into 39 times so far this year, according to the state-owned Northern Oil Company, NOC, which operates the Kirkuk field.
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=338515&apc_state=henh

Washington, Baghdad silent on Iraq border conflict - Feature
Posted : Sun, 02 Sep 2007 02:11:04 GMT
Ankara - On Iraq's northern border, Turkey and Iran have a common enemy in their sights. The armies of both countries are engaged in conflict with around 7,000 Kurdish militants who, tolerated by the government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, are entrenched in the mountainous frontier region.

The militants belong to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey, and the Party for Freedom and Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) from Iran.
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Iranian artillery fire targeting suspected PJAK positions in the provinces of Sulaymanyah and Arbil is heard almost on a daily basis. Yet on the political front, the conflict is little heard of. Few seem to be troubled by this border war, save for the residents of Kurdish villages who have been forced to flee their homes.
In contrast to the ongoing car bombing campaign targeting markets, bridges and barracks in the Iraqi capital, the violence in the north seems to be little more than a sideshow to the main conflict for the politicians in the capital.
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Even in Washington, where any interference by Iran in Iraqi affairs normally results in accusations and warnings from the Bush administration, any opposition to the Iranian attacks on the border region remains firmly behind closed doors.
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Although the Turkish army has massed 10,000 troops along the Iraqi frontier and readied for a major offensive, it has so far engaged only in minor missions. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears committed to a policy of restraint.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/101088.html