Security

Basra tanker attack marks deepening crisis for Iraq oil sector

Iraq is facing a widening array of security threats and economic consequences from the Iran war.

Iraqi ports director Farhan al-Fartousi (right) conducts an inspection on March 12, 2026, of the site of an Iranian attack on oil tankers the previous night. (Photo credit: General Company for Ports of Iraq)

Sep 12, 2017

Hawija offensive hamstrung by Baghdad-Erbil mistrust

Long-standing disputes over Kirkuk and its oil threaten to turn allies against each other as they prepare to chase IS from one of its last strongholds in Iraq.

Aug 29, 2017

UPDATE: Foiled spy plot strains Turkey-KRG relations

PKK abducts four Turkish agents in Sulaimaniya who were allegedly targeting the group's leader, elevating tensions ahead of the KRG's controversial independence referendum.

Aug 20, 2017

Garraf oil field attacked

Production is unaffected, and the police chief says local residents are reacting to belief that oil operations are responsible for recent earthquakes.

Aug 17, 2017

IS insurgency targets energy sites, interrupting oil exports

Kirkuk pipeline exports were briefly offline after IS militants bombed high-voltage power lines – one of a dozen insurgent attacks to hit northern Iraq in the past week.

Aug 9, 2017

Rivers of crude spill from IS smuggling operation

IS militants are still stealing oil from wellheads in the mountains of Salahaddin province - in the process, unleashing a flood of oil that flows for miles.

Jul 18, 2017

Ajil oil field targeted in latest insurgent attacks

Despite losing Mosul, IS militants continue a steady stream of guerilla-style operations throughout northern Iraq, targeting oil infrastructure, local leaders, and rural villages.

Jun 20, 2017

In Hawija, IS poses ongoing threat to oil assets

From one of their last strongholds in Iraq, IS militants continue to launch deadly attacks, including recent attempts to bomb the Bai Hassan oil field.

Jun 14, 2017

Chicken farm explosion reveals oil smuggling racket

Investigators suspect members of the Badr Organization paramilitary group conducted a small but steady smuggling operation at a makeshift military base south of Kirkuk.

Jun 9, 2017

Rising insurgency hits Diyala, despite security efforts

In territory that was ostensibly liberated two years ago, security forces, civilians, and energy infrastructure have become regular targets of an intensifying IS guerrilla war.

May 24, 2017

Q&A: Peshmerga General Secretary Jabar Yawar

The leader running Kurdistan's Peshmerga Ministry discusses the next steps in fighting IS, the future status of disputed territories, and efforts to reform the Peshmerga.