Boat Attacks Iraq's Main Oil Terminal -UK Military

Reuters ^ | April 24, 2004

[prairiebreeze]

BASRA (Reuters) - At least one boat attacked Iraq's main oil terminal offshore in the Gulf on Saturday, a British military spokesman said. Asked about an unconfirmed report that two boats exploded at the Basra terminal in suicide attacks, Major Ian Clooey told Reuters: "We are just getting reports that there has been an incident at the Basra offshore terminal. There are no firm details yet but we know of at least one vessel involved."

[prairiebreeze]

Being reported on Fox now,

Prairie

[prairiebreeze]

Trying again with THIS LINK

[OneTimeLurker]

I would bet that's one of the most heavily fortified and heavily defended structures in Iraq.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I hope the terrorpigs were blown out of the water and no actual people were hurt.

[OXENinFLA]

These terrorists are going to just this up until they are destroyed.

I hate to think of what that 30tons of TNT, that was just found in Basra the other day, would have gone to.

[knak]

Boat explodes near Basra oil terminal

Sat 24 April, 2004 19:41

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A boat has exploded alongside a ship tied up at Basra's offshore oil terminal, but there are no immediate reports of damage, a British military spokesman says.

Major Ian Clooey told Reuters on Saturday a second boat was intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition vessel as it approached the exclusion zone around Iraq's main oil terminal and there was an explosion soon after it was boarded.

Clooey said he had not received reports of casualties in the second explosion.

Iraqi authorities shut down the Basra offshore oil terminal after the attack, officials at the Southern Oil Company said.

At least two boats commanded by suicide attackers targeted the vital terminal, through which most of Iraqi oil exports flow, the officials said, adding that the extent of damage to the terminal was not immediately known.

[OXENinFLA]

just this up

=

just keep this up

[OXENinFLA]

exploded alongside a ship tied up at Basra's offshore oil terminal

I wonder how close?

[OXENinFLA]

FOX is saying it was 7 miles off shore.

[TexKat]

Suicide Boat Bombers Attack Key Iraq Oil Terminal

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Suicide bombers launched two boat attacks on Iraq's vital Basra offshore oil terminal on Saturday, Iraqi officials said, but the British military said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

One boat exploded alongside a ship tied up at the terminal, said British military spokesman Major Ian Clooey.

A second boat was intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition ship as it approached an exclusion zone around the terminal and there was an explosion soon after it was boarded, he said.

Iraq is almost completely dependent on the terminal to export around 1.9 million barrels per day, providing badly needed state funding.

Officials at Iraq's Southern Oil Company said the terminal had been shut down.

At least two boats were used by suicide attackers targeting the terminal, the officials said.

They said the extent of any damage to the terminal was not immediately known.

[Dog]

Major Ian Clooey told Reuters on Saturday a second boat was intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition vessel as it approached the exclusion zone around Iraq's main oil terminal and there was an explosion soon after it was boarded.

Prayers for the boarding party..

BTW....this attack is right out of the Al Qaeda playbook.

[OXENinFLA]

That should be 7 miles from the Iran/Iraq border, not off shore.

[Gucho]

"this attack is right out of the Al Qaeda playbook".

Yep, clever and the same old sleazy slime balls.

[Arkinsaw]

Major Ian Clooey told Reuters on Saturday a second boat was intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition vessel as it approached the exclusion zone around Iraq's main oil terminal and there was an explosion soon after it was boarded.

We shouldn't forget that our Coast Guard folks are also in harms way.

[OXENinFLA]

That doesn't sound good.

[Shermy]

Which means the southern land pipelines must be well protected. Therefore Iran, oops, I mean "Al Qaeda," redirected some jihadi dupes from its shores to attack the terminus.

Just another day in the Global Jihad/Oil Pricing War.

[Dog]

They are trying to shut the Iraqi money flow down now. 1.9 million barrels a day flow out of this terminal...that is alot of change.

[Dog]

Shermy .....they must have tracked the second boat as it was inbound.....they were able to stop it.....I bet we already know where it came from.

[csvset]

MSNBC says that there were 3 boats, 2 that attacked tankers, one that was boarded and then exploded.

Here

[Southack]

For whatever it's worth, the BBC says "oil rig" rather than the main oil exporting terminal...

Blast hits Iraqi offshore oil rig

An explosion - believed to be the work of bombers in boats - has rocked an Iraqi oil rig in the Gulf.

The UK defence ministry confirmed there had been a blast 11km (seven miles) from the Iran/Iraq border.

However, the ministry said they did not yet have further details about any casualties or damage caused by the suspected attack.

Earlier, a UK military spokesman in Iraq was quoted as saying at least one boat had been involved in the incident.

[Peach]

I just came in and turned the television on to this news. Three boats explode near Iraqi oil platform.

[AF68]

Fox reports no damage to two oil tankers or terminal.

[Southack]

The other boats exploded alongside two oil tankers near the Abbott oil facility south of Iraq’s main port, Umm Qasr, he said.

The attack appeared to resemble an Oct. 12, 2000 attack on USS Cole off Yemen, in which an explosives-laden boat rammed the destroyer, killing 17 American sailors. On Oct. 6, 2002, a boat rammed a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen and exploded, killing one crewman.

Both of those attacks were blamed on Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror network group.

The oil attacks came three days after near-simultaneous suicide car bombings that killed 74 people in the southern Iraqi city of Basra — 30 miles from Umm Qasr.

[Dog]

It was a three boat attack.....interesting. Sounds like they were trying for a "bleeder"......launch a three boat attack and hope one gets thru.

[Once-Ler]

Asked about an unconfirmed report that two boats exploded at the Basra terminal in suicide attacks,

When these martyrs meet Allah do they tell him they died to kill a steel pipe? Do they get virgins for that?

[Numbers Guy]

When these martyrs meet Allah do they tell him they died to kill a steel pipe? Do they get virgins for that?

For killing infidel metals they get Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat and other parting gifts.

[Shaun_MD]

They get the consolation prize.
Akmed: I'll take what's behind door number three!
Allah: Congrats, Akmed, you get to be Richard Simmon's towel boy for all eternity!

[Shermy]

They are trying to shut the Iraqi money flow down now. 1.9 million barrels a day flow out of this terminal...that is alot of change.

Which enhances the value of Iranian and everyone' else's oil in a cartel economy.

[Humidston]

>>there was an explosion soon after it was boarded, he said.<<

I pray the explosion didn't take out any good guys!

[prairiebreeze]

I just woke up from a snooze. Wow, three boats. It's al Qeada all right. Hubby has old move on tube, gotta get updates from FR.

Prairie

[prairiebreeze]

move = movie

Somehow the original mis-type didn't look right........

Prairie

[csvset]

2 killed, 5 wounded as per FOX

[Southack]

It's odd, to me, to see their target selections. Killing 18 Iraqi schoolchildren on a school bus with a suicide car bomb...3 known attempts on Mushariff's life in Pakistan...2 bombings in 2 years against Saudi civilians in that Arabian kingdom...

...these aren't attacks that can possibly win hearts and minds to their cause. They have clearly alienated Pakistan away from their cause. They've now got Saudi clerics denouncing them, too.

And they've taken their eyes off of their main games in Chechnya and Israel, where terrorists are clearly on the defensive.

The terrorists are overstretched. There is no way around that fact. Yet instead of concentrating on Israel or Chechnya, they keep rolling the dice hoping for that elusive double box car to appear. But I don't see how suicide car bombs against Iraqi civilians could *gain* the support of the local Iraqis.

And Iraqi civilians (and government) get direct checks from their foreign oil sales...so attacking that source of civilian revenue seems unlikely to endear them to their target audience, either (yes, the puns were intended).

It all smacks of desperation, as if al qaeda and their allies fears an imminent end to their cause.

But how can a decentralized operation fear an *imminent* end? Decentralized operations are rolled up in sections, one piece at a time...not all at once as would be required for an *imminent* demise. Why the sense of urgency on their part?

[Dog]

We lost the boarding party......2 dead 5 wounded.

[Gucho]

"Asked about an unconfirmed report that two boats exploded at the Basra terminal in suicide attacks,
When these martyrs meet Allah do they tell him they died to kill a steel pipe? Do they get virgins for that?"

NO...They end up on a pig farm and free saddle's. :-)

[Arkinsaw]

Damn, probably USN, USCG, UK, or Australian.

[deport]

File photograph dated December 15, 1996 shows the al-Bakra oil terminal offshore in the Gulf near the Iraqi city of Basra. At least one boat attacked Iraq's main oil terminal on April 24, 2004, a British military spokesman said. Photo by Faleh Kheiber/Reuters

[Humidston]

Damn those barbarians!

[rustbucket]

Our present stuggles against these fanatics reminds me of the British battle against the cult of religious murderers known as 'Thugs' in India (Thuggee). The British stayed the course and wiped out the Thugs to the great benefit of India. Incidentally, the Thugs were portrayed in the old movie Gunga Din.

[Dog]

Why the sense of urgency on their part?

I have been wondering the same thing.

[oceanview]

damn, why would they board the thing? once they demonstrated they they would not obey orders and leave the area, just blast them. especially on a boat - no issue of collateral damage or civilian casualties - just blow the boat up.

[Dog]

The closer we get to the handover ......the more violent the attacks will become. IMHO.....I would bet we see a chem/bio attack on a population center in Iraq......Zarqawi and his bunch......have to stop that handover at all costs.

Scary.

[Miss Marple]

I can't help but think that this IS related to Fallujah.

Is this to destract from more forces concentrating in Fallujah? Why the delay in the neogtiations in Fallujah? Why are we waiting? Who and what is in Fallujah?

[Humidston]

I see your awesome tagline... And it reminds me... I'd rather not lose any more "Pat Tillmans" as we approach the turnover. IMO, the savages aren't worth fighting "clean" with boarding parties, etc.

But then again, I'm no general either.

[oceanview]

no delays, the action in fallujah is underway I would guess:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1123793/posts

[Gucho]

damn, why would they board the thing? once they demonstrated they they would not obey orders and leave the area, just blast them. especially on a boat - no issue of collateral damage or civilian casualties - just blow the boat up.

Yes............2 U.S. soldiers killed on boarded inspection.

[prairiebreeze]

I'll be darned. Thanks for that link to that website, I will explore it further. Now I know the origin of the term "Thug". Of course the best thing for the Brits was that in the 1800's they didn't have to worry about being PC in dealing with these creeps.

Prairie

[AF68]

You can bet there won't be anymore stopping and boarding of suspected suicide boats. If they are in an exclusion zone, blast them out of the water and ask questions later.

[Humidston]

Amen!