Oil pipeline sabotaged

An explosion ripped open an Iraqi oil pipeline today in the latest act of sabotage to hit the industry.

“There was an explosion, sabotage,” said Ghazi al-Talibani, a worker for the North Oil Company, which operates the pipeline and huge oil fields around Kirkuk.

The pipeline that was attacked carried oil from Zab to Kirkuk.

The blast occurred at 7pm on Friday, and the fire was only extinguished at 8.30am today, said firefighter Ismail Hassan.

He said flames were 40 metres high.

Paul Bremer, the US civilian administrator for Iraq, has said the country is losing seven million dollars a day because of the closure of the export pipeline to Turkey.

In September, the line reopened for three days for the first time after the war. Three bomb blasts along the line later forced its closure.