Iraq struggles to protect vast oil infrastructure
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Hundreds of miles of pipeline snake through Iraq's vast, remote desert, and with the country's security in disarray, there aren't many people to protect it.
Saboteurs are keenly aware of that vulnerability, just like the Iraqi leaders who see oil as the country's economic lifeblood. Militants have hit vital oil hubs several times in recent days, shutting down the country's exports entirely.
The attacks come even as coalition and Iraqi officials have mounted a concerted effort to secure hundreds of miles of pipelines laid in largely uninhabited desert areas.
''You just can't protect every mile of those lines,'' said Ken Miller, an analyst with the Houston, Texas-based energy consultancy, Purvin & Gertz, Inc. ''It's a long infrastructure to monitor and protect.''
Read - Iraq struggles to protect vast oil infrastructure [Boston Globe]