BAGHDAD, Oct 16: Jordanian militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi has threatened to attack foreign trucks carrying imports of refined oil products into Iraq, an Iraqi Oil Ministry official said on Saturday.

A pamphlet the official said was from Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group said non-Iraqi trucks, which carry the bulk of Iraq's imports of refined products, would be attacked.

Iraq already suffers shortages of oil products, partly due to insecure land routes and sabotage attacks on refineries.

"Tawhid and Jihad has already killed a number of drivers.

"The Turks you hear are killed or kidnapped mostly drive fuel trucks," he added.

The pamphlet was distributed to oil officials in the north, including the city of Mosul, and to traders who import refined products, such as petrol and diesel, the official added.

Iraq, which has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, imports around $2 billion worth of refined products a year. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

More pledges
Updated 25 May, 2024

More pledges

There needs to be continuity in economic policies, while development must be focused on bringing prosperity to the masses.
Pemra overreach
25 May, 2024

Pemra overreach

IT seems, at best, a misguided measure and, at worst, an attempt to abuse regulatory power to silence the media. A...
Enduring threat
25 May, 2024

Enduring threat

THE death this week of journalist Nasrullah Gadani, who succumbed to injuries after being attacked by gunmen, is yet...
IMF’s unease
Updated 24 May, 2024

IMF’s unease

It is clear that the next phase of economic stabilisation will be very tough for most of the population.
Belated recognition
24 May, 2024

Belated recognition

WITH Wednesday’s announcement by three European states that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state later...
App for GBV survivors
24 May, 2024

App for GBV survivors

GENDER-based violence is caught between two worlds: one sees it as a crime, the other as ‘convention’. The ...