Suspected militants attack oil wells in Iraq

Suspected Islamic State extremists on Wednesday attacked two oil wells in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk, killing one security guard and injuring two others, security sources said.

The two wells in the Bai Hassan oil field in Kirkuk were targeted by explosive devices, triggering fires, the sources added.

The Oil Ministry said the attack had left an unspecified number of security guards dead or injured.

Firefighting teams managed to extinguish the fire in one well and were still trying to bring the blaze in the second under control, the spokesman for the ministry, Essam Jehad, added in a press statement.

The attack on the same oil field was the second in less than a month.

The Bai Hassan oil field is one of the biggest in Kirkuk, producing around 175,000 barrels per day.

Iraq is grappling with a deep economic crisis compounded by the fall in oil prices, the main source of the country’s income, as well as the Coronavirus pandemic.

In December 2017, Iraq declared victory over Islamic State, having recaptured all the territory seized by the extremists since 2014.

However, members of the terror group have continued to carry out scattered attacks across the war-torn country.