Militants attack Iraqi oil headquarters

Shiite militants loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr broke into the headquarters of Iraq’s South Oil Co in Basra today and set the company’s warehouses and offices on fire.

The attack came after the militants had threatened to sabotage Iraq’s crucial oil infrastructure to protest the ongoing clashes between militants and US and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf.

The insurgents broke into the oil company compound, drove off security guards in a gun battle and shot rocket propelled grenades into the warehouses, which held drilling equipment and other gear.

The explosions ignited a fire that burned at least 10 warehouses to the ground. The fire then spread to the company’s offices.

When firefighters trued to fight the blaze, militants shot at them and the emergency workers fled.

Smoke spread throughout the entire compound, and the electricity in the headquarters went down.

The British military, which patrols the southern city, had no immediate comment.