Wells without protection ... and permissible oil for theft and smuggling in Kirkuk

[size=52]Wells without protection ... and permissible oil for theft and smuggling in Kirkuk[/size]

[size=45]Kirkuk / Ali Al-Azzawi[/size]
[size=45]On the outskirts of Kirkuk, there are wells that do not have protection and are vulnerable to being targeted by terrorist groups, and others are vulnerable to smuggling operations.[/size]
[size=45]Most of the oil wells lack the necessary protection by the oil police that follow the Ministry of the Interior, and other forces deployed in the vicinity of those wells.[/size]
[size=45]Kirkuk Governorate recorded about five attacks against oil wells during the current year, the largest of which was the bombing of two wells in the baker oil fields, which remained burning for days after they were detonated by ISIS terrorist operatives.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi forces are still relying on traditional methods of protecting the oil wells in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din, as there are tens of wells in the Ajil and Laas fields devoid of any protection, and anyone can steal and smuggle crude oil, and it is permissible for those who wish to steal because the area is without adequate protection. And the security authorities in Kirkuk announced that they had thwarted oil smuggling operations from the Kirkuk governorate (250 kilometers north of the country), without clarifying the parties involved in the operation, but officials hinted that armed factions and groups operating in Kirkuk are behind the smuggling operations. A responsible source told Al-Mada that “Military Intelligence, in coordination with the Intelligence Division of the advanced headquarters for joint operations in Kirkuk (responsible for the security of the governorate), managed to thwart the smuggling of 36 thousand liters of crude oil from the province,” indicating that “the operation came as a continuation of its tasks. In the pursuit of organized crime gangs and smugglers ”.[/size]
[size=45]The source pointed out, "The operation was carried out based on accurate intelligence, confirming the presence of a tanker loaded with 36,000 liters of smuggled crude oil, in the Saqsli area on the outskirts of Kirkuk governorate," confirming that "the smuggling operation was thwarted and the truck, its driver and an accompanying car were arrested."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that "a second force managed to foil the smuggling of a truck out of 12 trucks intended for smuggling in the district of Debs northwest of Kirkuk, where a force from the army and the Popular Mobilization Forces managed to seize a tank loaded with crude oil and was intended for smuggling, and that the smuggling operation that was thwarted is the second of its kind in Iraq." Less than two weeks.[/size]
[size=45]He added that "the continuation of smuggling operations without the government moving to end them causes great financial losses, which calls for not neglecting the file."[/size]
[size=45]The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, Karim Hattab Jaafar, and the Ministries of Defense and Interior called for securing protection for oil wells in Kirkuk Governorate, after repeated attacks on wells and oil fields in Kirkuk. Jaafar told Al-Mada that “the Ministries of Defense, Interior and Intelligence must be vigilant with regard to protecting the oil wells because it is the wealth of a country, and what happened in the targeting of the Bay Hassan fields and two oil wells in the Al-Khabaza oil fields southwest of Kirkuk not far from the periphery of the oil field, where there are about five Villages inside the oil field and 25 villages in the vicinity of this field. The security forces must work to clean the area from the pockets and provide protection for the oil field. He added, "It is not possible to accept the recurrence of attacks. We are working with the security forces to develop a new plan to protect the oil wells in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din and prevent repeated targeting.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the economic expert, Ali Khalil, told Al-Mada that “the issue of the oil wells in Kirkuk needs to be restructured for the forces that are in charge of protecting the oil sites because they are the ones in charge of protecting the oil sites. Kirkuk has recorded about five bombings that have targeted oil sites this year, and there are sites without any Protection in the outskirts of Debs district towards the Bay Hassan oil fields and the Havana fields northwest of Kirkuk.[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The oil wells in the fields of Alas and Ajil also need protection, and there are more than 30 oil wells that are free of protection, and it is very easy to steal or even target because they are in an area adjacent to the Hamrin mountain range and others are witnessing clear activity by ISIS terrorist gangs."[/size]
[size=45]The oil reserves located in Kirkuk are estimated at about 13 billion barrels, meaning that it constitutes about 12% of the total Iraqi reserves of oil.[/size]
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