South Front
Screengrab, via Youtube.
Late on May 19, a mysterious blast rocked a natural gas pipeline in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk causing a massive fire.
The pipeline is reportedly operated by Iraq’s North Oil Company. The blast took place near the town of Bajwan, a few kilometers to the north of Kirkuk city. Video footage that surfaced online showed a massive fire that erupted after the blast.
Civil defense in Kirkuk said in a statement that the fire was quickly put down, adding that there were no material losses or casualties in nearby areas.
The North Oil Company is yet to provide any details on the possible causes of the pipeline blast or the resulting damage from the fire.
In the last few years, oil and gas infrastructure in northern Iraq lucrative oil fields were attacked with rockets and explosive devices on several occasions. While ISIS claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, others were blamed on Iranian-backed forces or even on the power struggle between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Iraq continues to be one of the main players in the global energy market. The country produced 4.48 million barrels per day on average in 2022, and earned record amounts from oil sales, coming in at $115.657 billion, up from $75.6 billion in 2021.
