Iraq Deploys 2,000 Guardsmen to Protect Kirkuk Oilfields

Iraq's national guard assumed security control of the oilfields near Kirkuk on 23 November 2004, with 2,000 troops deployed from early morning to guard wells and pipelines following a surge in sabotage.

The move came under a joint directive from the defense and oil ministries. It replaced a mix of private contractors and tribal guards who had been paid to protect sections of pipeline crossing their territory. South African firm Erinys held a security contract running through year's end, but neither arrangement had contained the attacks.

The state-owned North Oil Company reported 100 separate incidents since June, with estimated losses of $800 million in earnings. At the Khabbaza field west of Kirkuk, six wells remained on fire Tuesday following strikes in recent days.

Guardsmen now cover both production wells and the main pipeline corridor running from the Kirkuk fields to the refinery town of Baiji, the distribution hub for northern crude.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.