This is new, folks -- NYT: Oil Graft Fuels the Insurgency, Iraq and U.S.

[DeepModem Mom]

And remember that mortar attack on the Kirkuk refinery, reported only in the LAT, and posted here in LBN? Well, read on --


Oil Graft Fuels the Insurgency, Iraq and U.S. Say
By ROBERT F. WORTH
and JAMES GLANZ
Published: February 5, 2006


BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 4 — Iraqi and American officials say they are seeing a troubling pattern of government corruption enabling the flow of oil money and other funds to the insurgency and threatening to undermine Iraq's struggling economy.

In Iraq, which depends almost exclusively on oil for its revenues, the officials say that any diversion of money to an insurgency that is killing its citizens and tearing apart its infrastructure adds a new and menacing element to the challenge of holding the country together.

In one example, a sitting member of the Iraqi National Assembly has been indicted in the theft of millions of dollars meant for protecting a critical oil pipeline against attacks and is suspected of funneling some of that money to the insurgency, said Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the chairman of Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity....The charges against the Sunni lawmaker, Meshaan al-Juburi, lend credence to the suspicions of Iraqi officials that the insurgency is profiting from Iraq's oil riches.

In another incident, the director of a major oil storage plant near Kirkuk was arrested Saturday, with other employees and several local police officials, and charged with helping to orchestrate a mortar attack on the plant on Thursday, a Northern Oil Company employee said. The attack resulted in devastating pipeline fires and a shutdown of all oil operations in the area, said the employee, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Ali Allawi, Iraq's finance minister, estimated that insurgents reap 40 percent to 50 percent of all oil-smuggling profits in the country. Offering an example of how illicit oil products are kept flowing on the black market, he said that the insurgency had infiltrated senior management positions at the major northern refinery in Baiji and routinely terrorized truck drivers there. This allows the insurgents and their confederates to tap the pipeline, empty the trucks and sell the oil or gas themselves....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/international/middleeast/05corrupt.html?hp&ex=1139115600&en=d78e496194281952&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[NanceGreggs]

1. Didn't Bush say at the beginning of this debacle ...

... that Iraq's oil belongs to the Iraqi people, to use and sell as they see fit?

Apparently, some of them have decided to take him at his word ...

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Indeed! nt

[chicofaraby]

3. Someone is stealing the money BushCo stole?

Ain't irony a b*tch.

[goforit]

17. Way to say it like ya see it!!!....LOL!!!

[NanceGreggs]

4. Doesn't Halliburton hold classes on stealing money?

"Ali Allawi, Iraq's finance minister, estimated that insurgents reap 40 percent to 50 percent of all oil-smuggling profits in the country."


Only 40% to 50%? What a bunch of amateurs!

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. Who, then, reaps the other 50 - 60% of the oil-smuggling profits?

Uh, let me guess.

[RC]

5. Gee, what a surprise.

I wonder how much of the missing billions is going to fuel the insurgency? Can't be having peace break out, that would shut off bu$h/cheney's profitability from the war.

[riderinthestorm]

6. Isn't Chalabi the new Oil Minister?

And didn't he also have ties to Iran?

[tocqueville]

7. why do you think the Saudi's pipe-lines are not blown up ?

because they pay bribes to all terrorist movements in the area, from Al Quaeda to the Sunnis of Iraq....

[Theduckno2]

8. ".....a troubling pattern of governement corruption...".

You would think that after the initial looting by some Iraqis, the squandering of billions by Paul Bremer, and the overcharging for fuel by Halliburton, it would not take nearly 3 years for Bushco to recognize that corrupted monies were going to the insurgency.

Wasn't there an official from the GAO that said that he couldn't even begin to account for U.S. funds that were spent in Iraq?

If anything, this seems to be an attempt to deflect criticism of U.S. failures onto the Iraqis.

[ClintonTyree]

11. bush has "spread freedom" well........

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the bush cabal is diverting funds to the insurgents themselves, just to keep, "the war on terra" going in perpetuity. Hey it's good for the military industrial complex, the insurgents, the bush cabal.....the only people who are suffering are American and Iraqi citizens and we all know bush doesn't give a shit about us or them.

[abex]

9. LMFAO! nt

[TacticalPeek]

10. Some would say that it gives a new meaning to privatization.

Others would say it's not new.

[Straight Shooter]

12. We lead by example.

As if it was ever going to happen that there would be stellar people in charge when bushco is pulling the strings.

[stop the bleeding]

13. Actually a self sustained insurgency is what Cheney and Dumbsfeld want

WAR is the best money maker period.


The BFEE/Cheney/Dumbsfeld are tied to all kinds of companies that profit off of WAR legally ie: WWII, Vietnam, GulfI, Iraq, ect. We lost our Cold WAR adversary when Ronnie Rayguns told Gorby to "tear down that wall". So we kinda lost some of that profit making ability

So people like Cheney/Dumbsfeld/Perle/Feith/Wolfowitz/Duane(Dewey) Clarridge/Ledeen all needed to invent another new enemy see PNAC ie: the middle east mostly Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and many more.

So now you have a self sustained Iraqi oil backed insurgency for us to try all of the latest and greatest weapons brought to you by White Phosphorous! New Precision Guided Bombs and Missiles! ooooh!:sarcasm::sarcasm:

Makes me f**king sick, but you wanna know the sick part is when these guys make money on the other side of the fence ie: illegally/black market read more at link below.

American Judas by robertpaulsen a fellow DU'er



So no I am not surprised at this in the least, not to mention for the several other reasons as pointed out by the DU'ers on this thread.

Nominated!

[54anickel]

14. Can we have an "anti-corruption week" too?

The threat of violence has also deterred many Iraqi journalists from reporting on corruption, despite a campaign by American officials, who have optimistically declared the week starting Feb. 19 to be Anti-corruption Week.

"We have talked to three editors in the past week about anticorruption stories," said an American official in Baghdad who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "They are afraid of getting whacked if they print them."

In other cases, anticorruption officials have helped to hide illegal behavior, joining what Mr. Radhi called "Mafia type" organizations within the government ministries.

This all has a sort of familiar ring to it.

[Joanne98]

26. Anti-corruption week? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

[KC21304]

15. Allawi should know. He skimmed plenty when he

was running the show.

[ECH1969]

16. Oil revenue flowing to insurgency

Iraq's finance minister believes that 40 percent to 50 percent of black-market oil revenues are going to the insurgency, the New York Times reported Saturday.

Allawi said insurgents have infiltrated management at the Baiji oil refinery and are using their positions to divert oil.

"It's gone beyond Nigeria levels now where it really threatens national security," Allawi told the Times. "The insurgents are involved at all levels."

Meshaan al-Juburi, a Sunni member of the Iraqi National Assembly, has been charged with stealing millions of dollars that was supposed to be used for pipeline protection, said Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the chairman of the Commission on Public Integrity. The director of an oil storage facility near Kirkuk was charged Saturday with helping to arrange an attack on the plant.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/963.php

[Twist_U_Up]

18. Do the Insurgents trucks say Halliburton on them ?

[Furity]

19. Hey, he's just pandering to his base

The haves and the haves more. What's wrong with that? That's what the US population voted for. Sorry, I don't know how to do the sarcasm thingy.

[Roland99]

20. Goddamn I love me some democracy!!

[stickdog]

22. What bullshit.

The oil is the only thing we are guarding over there. If somebody's stealing it, it's the same somebody who stole the last two US elections.

[leftchick]

23. I agree

BFEE

[progressoid]

24. Well, I'm sure Fox news will be all over this story.

[DeepModem Mom]

25. FYI: This is the lead story in the NYT print edition today -- top right.