IRAQ: Militants shut down Iraq's largest oil refinery with a bomb attack which leaves four dead

Record ID: 572595

  • Title: IRAQ: Militants shut down Iraq's largest oil refinery with a bomb attack which leaves four dead
  • Date: 28th February 2011
  • Summary: BAIJI, IRAQ (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (FEBRUARY 26, 2011) (REUTERS) BAIJI REFINERY VARIOUS BLACKENED STRUCTURES AFTER BOMBING AND FIRE FIRE CREWS AT THE SCENE OFFICIALS AND MILITARY EXAMINING DAMAGE VARIOUS OF DAMAGE
  • Embargoed: 15th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq, Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA7HCSU5ZVU39MY7TRLJPRJFBGK
  • Story Text: Militants attacked Iraq's largest oil refinery on Saturday (February 26), killing four workers and detonating bombs which sparked a huge fire and shut down the plant, officials said.
    The militants planted explosives at a kerosene and benzene production unit at the northern refinery in Baiji, a former al Qaeda stronghold 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, the governor of Salahuddin province, Ahmed al-Jubouri, said.
    Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem Luaibi said the "terrorist attack" hit only one production unit, which was under maintenance, and the remaining units had not been damaged.
    The damaged unit, known as the North Refinery, has a production capacity of 150,000 barrels per day, a Baiji official said, adding the damage has been too severe to fix in few days.
    Overall violence in Iraq has dropped sharply since the peak of sectarian conflict in 2006-07 but attacks still occur daily.
    Several years ago al Qaeda had enough control over the Baiji area that it was able to intimidate refinery workers and hijack its refined products. It sold the products to neighbouring countries and used the profits to finance the insurgency.
    Baiji normally operates at about 70 percent of its 310,000 bpd capacity, and produces 11 million litres of gasoline, 7 million litres of benzene and 4.5 million litres of kerosene a day.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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