Iraq oil recovery effort costing lives

[bemildred]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Scores of Iraqi oil workers have been killed or maimed since last year's invasion after they defied death threats and remained in their posts, Oil Minister Thamir al-Ghadhban says.

"Personal threats are regularly made against us and many people have been lost, but we will not raise the white flag. We are raising output and fixing every pipeline that is blown up," Ghadhban told a news conference on Thursday.

Among those killed were truck drivers distributing refined products and pipeline security guards. Several guards at the Basra refinery had their legs amputated earlier this month when rockets fell near their post, the minister said.

"I don't think that there is an oil industry in the world that faces so much difficulty. Our headquarters alone have had several mortar rounds a day fall on it over the past two months," said Ghadhban, a geologist who started working for the ministry more than 30 years ago.

Reuters

[daleo]

1. If only Bush wasn't trying to "recover" their oil

Bush's effort has cost lives, all right.

[Nordic]

2. hmmm, I smell a corrupt "lives for oil" program at work here!

Maybe some conservative network could make a big stink about this!

WHO benefits from the "lives for oil" corruption? Is it France? Germany?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm .. . . . .