Bomb halts Turkey pipeline for days-Iraq oil chief - Update

[NNN0LHI]

This is kind of a dupe mods. The other story I posted just reports that a fire started. This one admits it was a bomb. If it is OK mods could you please lock the other Turkey pipeline fire story, and I will add that link to this one. Its your call mods. Thank you.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16485539.htm

BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Iraq's U.S.-appointed de facto oil minister said on Saturday that a fire in a key export pipeline to Turkey was probably caused by a bomb and it would be some days before oil would be flowing normally again.

Link to other story:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=69119

Link to AP story with more info:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030816/wl_nm/energy_iraq_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

[alcuno]

1. ".....at which time it will be bombed again."

I am fascinated by those who think that this type of thing can be stopped. What master of the universe thought processes must be involved.

I said it in the other thread. There is a correlation between the US reported "successes" and things that are subsequently sabotaged.

[StandWatie]

2. Iraqi's know what they are doing..

blow those oil wells up until no one wants to develop them and that will be the end of our great, moral, "democracy" building bullshit.

[NNN0LHI]

3. You are right. The Iraqi's know why we are there, as does the world

Most Americans know too. They just won't admit the truth to themselves. Sad.

Don

[bvar22]

4. If Americans can't pillage for profit....

....they will go home!

[leftchick]

5. I wonder how many more lives it will take ...

before the neocons admit their plans for US occupation in the ME are INSANE!!!

[rustydad]

20. The neocons will.........

..admit defeat in about the same time as Israel's Zionists admit defeat by the Palestinians. Bob

[legin]

6. thanks NNN0LHI

Nice catch.

They can't protect the Iraqi pipelines, certainly not with 150,000 troops, probably not even with 1.5 million either. Probably needs fences, motion detectors etc, etc, nice and expensive.

The number of troops it took to man Hadrian's wall in Roman times, or the u.s.-mexico border might provide some clues.

[PATRICK]

7. or the highly successful

Great Wall of China, the Maginot Line and the future Star Wars Defense shield, not to mention George Bush's Media 3Monkey Wall.

[The Magistrate]

8. Indeed, Sir

Ten soldiers per kilometer is the traditional ratio: that is what has been conceived as necessary for protection of railway lines throughout the twentieth century. Oil pipelines are, by their incendiary nature, more vulnerable to spectacular attack.

There will be no appreciable exports of oil from Iraq, this year or next, except for what is moved out by the old smugglers networks perfected during the sanctions period.

[legin]

10. LOL The Magistrate

posted at the same time.

[legin]

9. I don't know how good an analogy it is

but I got a figure of 10 troops per mile for Hadrian's Wall plus those stationed in forts.

<<snip>>

"The Wall was a sophisticated piece of engineering. Every Roman mile there was a milecastle guarded by at least eight men. Between milecastles were two equidistant turrets where sentries kept watch. Thus a close check could be made on the movement of goods, people and animals crossing the frontier. During building, control was strengthened by the construction of large forts along the Wall. These and other supply forts to the south housed auxiliary soldiers, many from Belgium, Germany and former Yugoslavia. The forts also served as crossing points of the Wall. Around them grew civilian settlements."

<<snip>>

http://www.hadrians-wall.org/about.htm

[legin]

13. OK

a dose of reality after my not even with 1.5 million exageration.

I got about 300 km from the Kirkuk fields to the Turkish border and about 300 km from some the southern fields to the port.



Using The Magistrate's 10 troops per km, let's say 6,000-10,000 troops, the upper figure to include support troops. Probably doesn't need front-line Grade A units, so a nice job for National Guard grade C troops, lucky them.

[legin]

16. Guessing again

People might want to watch out for perhaps an extra 10,000 National Gaurd troops being dispatched to Iraq specifically to gaurd the pipeline. How efective they will be from what people have said lower down the thread I don't know, but it will make a nice sop to the oil markets and is possibly worth $1 a barrel off the price of oil, i.e. 20m a day for the u.s., so it may well be economically feasable. One would guess that there are some oil men somewhere lobbying for it anyway.

[joshcryer]

18. They'd be perfect targets, though. Sitting ducks!

One person every few km isn't a threat!

[Systematic Chaos]

11. "Nice and expensive"

Just thinking about it for a moment, I would bet that the type of security needed to fully protect that pipeline would cost, what, $50 million or more PER MILE just to set up? Than what about all the surveillance teams that would need to be paid to sit in control rooms listening for alarms and watching cameras? And then the people to keep those installations safe? Another ongoing cost of maybe a million a year per mile?

There isn't any oil reserve ANYWHERE that could be worth all that. I don't care how crazy and overzealous you are about it.

[jamesinca]

12. A good point is made by William Rivers Pitt in his book

He is talking about the gas pipeline thru Afghanastan and into a Pakistan sea port in the book. One of the reasons that is given for possibly being in Afghanastan. Maybe they see the oil as an extension of this power grab, a symbol of America. I don't think it is a rejection of freedom, or democracy, it is a rejection of America. I also am wondering about a story that was in the paper several weeks ago. The posibility of the oil fields being tapped by the Kuwaitis, with or with out the help of the U.S.

Meteorologist's work featured in national weather magazine

By Billy Cox
FLORIDA TODAY
On May 25, while scanning the Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program images pipelined into his desktop from 450 miles in orbit, Hank Brandli skidded at a nighttime photo of Iraq. It looked familiar. But not exactly.
Brandli retrieved another DMSP image he'd archived from May 3. He compared the two. The most recent photo showed a blazing corridor of light running the length of Kuwait, south to north, all the way to the Iraqi border. The image wasn't there on May 3.
"It's going right up to Iraq's oil fields," says the retired Air Force colonel from his home in Palm Bay. "Maybe I'm full of s---. Maybe all they're doing is building a highway to put in McDonald's and sell hamburgers. But why go that way? I think we're in bed with Kuwait. I think we're pumping oil out of Iraq to pay for this war."


A little food for thought.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Can't protect a pipeline. Look at one bullet did in Alaska

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12691/story.htm

USA: October 8, 2001

Oil mop-up starts after Alaskan pipe is punctured


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Crews scrambled last week to mop up the second-largest oil spill from the trans-Alaska pipeline after a rifle shot nearly halted about one-fifth of U.S. domestic production, officials said.

The first piercing of the 24-year-old pipeline by a bullet forced the operator last weekto turn off the flow of 1 million barrels (42 million gallons) a day through the 800-mile-long (1,300-km) pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic to the Prince William Sound port of Valdez in the south.

Close to the pipeline's midpoint, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Fairbanks, oil sprayed from the puncture to coat about two acres (0.8 hectares) of ground in an area of tundra and stunted spruce, operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said.

An estimated 6,600 barrels, or 277,000 gallons, gushed from the bullet hole, Alyeska said. Oil continued to spew last week. The hole had not been plugged because of the high pressure in the line at that section, Alyeska said.

The company does not yet have a time estimate for the plugging, spokesman Tim Woolston said.

more

[htuttle]

15. What's the range of a .50 rifle?

You'd have to secure a perimeter twice that wide along the entire length of the pipeline, extending it where necessary due to lines of sight.

Not going to happen.

[NickB79]

19. Hell, that was only a .338 caliber rifle that pierced the Alaska line

Powerful bear rifle, but nothing compared to a .50 BMG. A SKILLED shooter, who has practiced extensively with a well-maintained .50 BMG, and using quality ammunition, can hit a man-sized target at 1000 yds. The .50 BMG is used in long-range competition, with the 1000 yd world record being a 5-shot group under 2" with the best equipment! As they say "If you can see it, you can hit it."

Plus, the Soviets supplied Iraq with 14.5mm weapons (slightly more powerful than the US .50 cal, which is ~12.5mm). One of those set up properly could give you a few hundred more yards of range.

[bigwoody]

17. Send in shrub's Toxic Twins to patrol the pipeline. Tell them there's a

bong and a keg in it for them! Damn, I just thought the 100th post would feel special . You know, like a drunk prom date or something like that. Must go to work now, keep this post alive so I can see it when I get home. Long live Greg Palast!:bounce: