According to the Director General of the Northern Iraqi Oil Co (NOC), Adel Qazzaz, “The explosion occurred at [1230 GMT] because of an explosive charge planted by unknown individuals inside the well, located 45 miles west of Kirkuk.
“It inflicted massive damage in the well, and fire-fighters are having a hard time extinguishing it because the explosion occurred inside the well and not in the pipelines. Firemen [will] need two days to put out the fire.”
“The well is a principal producer for oil exports through the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline and for covering local market demands,” added Adel, who admitted that the country has had trouble reopening its export pipelines due to acts of sabotage by insurgents fighting against the US-led occupation of Iraq.
