Kidnapping of Turkish drivers plunges northern Iraq in fuel crisis

KIRKUK, Oct 11 (AFP) - A spike in the number of kidnappings of Turkish tanker drivers delivering fuel to Iraq has plunged the northern city of Kirkuk in an energy crisis, an oil executive said Monday.
"For the first time, Kirkuk is facing a severe fuel shortage because Turkish drivers are refusing to come to Iraq because of the threat of kidnapping and attacks on the road between the two countries," said Ali Sahin, director of the General Oil Products company during a city council meeting.
He said the Kirkuk refinery was in no position to meet all of the region's demand, especially with winter approaching.
An Al-Qaeda-linked group said Monday it had beheaded a Turkish contractor and an Iraqi Kurd who worked with US forces in Iraq, in statements posted on an Islamist website and a video showing the killings.
Another group claimed in another broadcast on Al-Jazeera on Sunday that it had released 10 Turks after their employer said it would quit working in Iraq.