[SauronOfMordor]

That's a firehose to drink from. The locations of these pipelines must be known to the US.

ANd the Iragis know it, and are in control of the source. Want to risk them putting something into the pipeline that would mess up all our tank engines?

[wretchard]

The pipeline in question looks to be the PS-4 (See http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/iraq_oil_2003.jpg) and is meant to transport crude, not diesel, from the oilfields near Kirkuk, to Syria and to the Gulf. It does not carry refined POL, so far as I can tell.

So the reporter probably made a mistake about the "diesel" fuel, and your point is well taken. Can't fill up with crude oil.