Fuel Crisis Prolonged

Oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said the multinational forces are falling short in protecting the oil facilities, pipelines and oil tankers coming into Iraq from attacks by gunmen. He said the poor security prolonged the fuel crisis. Jihad said that gunmen have attacked two pipelines to (put a stop to) oil production; one attack occurred in the north and the other in the south. He said corrupt individuals are smuggling oil, which contributes to the crisis and continuous power cuts. Jihad urged all private fuel station owners to practice their responsibilities by taking their fuel shares from warehouses to meet the public's demands.