Iraqi fire fighters battle a burning pipeline near the city of Basra

By Aws Al-Sharqi, IOL Correspondent

BAGHDAD, September 12 (IslamOnline.net) – The lack of security in war-torn Iraq has played its toll on all walks of life, with the oil sector not immune from the devastating consequence of occupation. This was not limited to sabotage of oil pipelines and infrastructure, but extended to oil theft, with burglars keep on defrauding the country’s stretching pipelines after nearly 16 months of US-led occupation.

Their aim is quite obvious: Reselling the crude at the lucrative black market whether inside or outside Iraq which sits on the world’s second largest oil reserves.

Iraqi oil industry officials, who requested anonymity, told IslamOnline.net Sunday, September 12, that the plunders break through pipelines at remote and sloping areas to produce an oil lake, then easily transfer it to parked supertankers.

“They have detailed maps about the pipelines’ routes across Iraq and know the geography of these areas,” the officials added.

“They sell a cargo at between $750-1000, half of its market price.”

The thieves have their eyes on pipelines pumping refined oil as it is much sought after by neighboring countries like Kuwait and Iraq , thanks to its cheap price.

Mahmmod Abdel A'l, an official with Basra ’s Municipality, said the second largest Iraqi city has become a focal point for smuggling oil to neighboring countries.

He put at 100 the number of underground harbors in Shaat Al-Arab region, forming the main gateways for smugglers.

Toothless Combat

Patrols by Iraqi national and border guards have, in effect, proved futile to stop the blossoming illegal activity.

An official in Basra attributed the failure to the corruption of some administrative and security apparatuses.

He added that those officials are accepting hush money to turn a blind eye to the smuggling operations.

Adding insult to injury, a US company assigned by the interim Iraqi government to protect its oil industry in return for lucrative contracts has failed to counter such systematic and well-organized operations.

The company, which employs 14,000 people, said last week in a press release that it would hire helicopters from Jordan to patrol the Iraqi borders.

Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Al-Ghadban vigorously denied reports that his ministry invited bidders to buy leaked oil.

He said ministry crews are keen on burying leaked oil and hosing down burning pipelines.

According to other sources, some tribesmen are believed to be working in cahoots with the smugglers in return for handsome sums of money despite monthly payments for them by the oil ministry to protect the pipelines.

The sources further said that top-secret CDs were stolen from the ministry last week in a highly professional and quick operation. They contain vital information about the country’s oil installations and locations of pipelines.

A contributing factor is the dissolution of the Iraqi 8,000-strong oil police following last year’s invasion.

The sabotage attacks on Iraq ’s pipelines actually cost the country more than one billion dollars a year to repair the damage, said Esam Ziyab, an expert with the oily ministry.