Pipeline blown up in Kirkuk: Official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An oil pipeline was blown up in the city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, said a police official, adding that the fire has not been contained as of yet.

Brig. Sarhad Qadir, Kirkuk Suburban Police Chief confirmed to Rudaw that “On Wednesday morning, a pipeline between the villages of Drkai Arab and Sartika in the area of Sargaran had been blown up and later caught fire.”

Qadir added that they tried to put out the fire but have been unsuccessful thus far.

“It is expected to be contained by this evening, and hopefully the fire will be extinguished,” he suggested.

This is not the first time oilfields have been targeted by militant groups in Kirkuk, notably ISIS.

Kirkuk, home to a large number of oilfields, currently exports its oil to the world market through the Ceyhan port in Turkey. Two oil fields in Kirkuk are under the control of the Kurdistan Region and three others by the Iraqi government’s North Oil Company (NOC).