Militants attack oil wells in Iraq’s Kirkuk

BAGHDAD

Militants attacked two oil wells in northern Iraq’s Kirkuk province on Wednesday, according to the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

“A bombing by a terrorist group targeted oil wells no. 183 and 177 in the Bai Hassan oilfield in Kirkuk,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, a number of security personnel were killed and injured in the bombing, but without giving an exact toll.

The ministry said firefighting teams have managed to extinguish the fire that erupted in well no. 177, and are currently working to control another blaze in well no. 183.

The ministry did not clarify the nature of the bombing or the party responsible.

A security source earlier told Anadolu Agency that a policeman was killed in an armed attack by suspected Daesh/ISIS militants targeting the Bai Hassan oilfield.

Kirkuk province has the oilfields of Bai Hassan, Baba Gurgur, and Havana, which together produce more than 370,000 barrels per day.

Daesh/ISIS terrorists have in recent months escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014 which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara