Tuesday, February 07, 2006

No Blood for Oil?

Tell it to the terrorists:

Iraq's insurgency is receiving millions of dollars from smuggling oil through a network of supporters working in its oil industry, the government and American officials say.

The director of an oil storage plant near Kirkuk was arrested with several of his employees and charged with helping to orchestrate a mortar attack on the plant last week.

The bombardment resulted in a huge pipeline fire that shut down all oil operations in the area. The attack is believed to have been launched after anti-corruption agents uncovered insurgent thefts being orchestrated from the plant.

Ali Allawi, the finance minister,.... highlighted the situation at a northern oil refinery near Baiji where insurgents were found to have infiltrated senior management positions and tapped the pipeline for their own use. ....

Iraq's commission on public integrity announced that Meshaan al-Jaburi, a Sunni member of parliament, had been charged with stealing millions of pounds intended for pipeline protection and funnelling a portion of the money to rebel groups.

....Mr Jaburi fled the country before an arrest warrant was issued and is believed to be in Syria.

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