Islamic State sets oil pipeline on fire, west of Kirkuk: Official

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) An oil pipeline has been exploded, on Saturday evening, causing huge fire, which has not been controlled yet, a Kurdish security official said on Sunday.

Speaking to BasNews, Idris Refaat, of the security troops in Kirkuk, said “Islamic State blew up a pipeline used for transferring crude oil in west of Kirkuk, late on Saturday, using two bombs.”
The fire, according to Idris, “has not be put off yet.”

Idris blamed the Iraqi troops for not being able to control the region, which was previously under control of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which allows Islamic State members to attack oil establishments and troops.

news reports quoted sources as saying that seven people were killed as Islamic State members attacked al-Bu Shaher village, near Yayji town, west of Kirkuk.

In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.

Thousands of militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.