Intelligence Watch
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Suicide bombers Friday attacked Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil refinery, 25 miles inland from the Gulf of Bahrain.
Abqaiq processes daily about two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's 10.5-11 million barrels of oil and is the world's largest refinery. Abqaiq has the theoretical capacity to process up to 7 million barrels per day.
According to initial reports, security officials fired on at least two cars attempting to enter the facility, which exploded, killing the occupants.
An added reason why Abqaiq might have been chosen for attack over other Saudi facilities is the presence of Americans. According to a Feb. 23 Jamestown Terrorism Monitor report, nearly half of Abqaiq's inhabitants are U.S. citizens working at the facility.
Surrounding Abqaiq is a super-giant oil field with 17 billion barrels of proven reserves.
Abqaiq is the collection center for the wellhead oil from many of Saudi Arabia's major fields, including the "Big Three" -- Ghawar, Abqaiq and Shayba.
Following the attack, oil prices for April on the New York Mercantile Exchange Crude oil rose $2.06 to $62.60 a barrel.
Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nueimi said oil output was unaffected.
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Operations at Iraq's Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair ports were suspended on Wednesday because of rioting nearby but resumed on Thursday, GAC Hot Port News reported.
The rioting is an ominous reminder of how unstable the situation in Iraq remains. Umm Qasr, on the Persian Gulf, is Iraq's sole significant "deep water" port. It is astride the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which leads into Basra. Shortly after the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Umm Qasr was declared to be under U.S. and British control.
Details on the rioting were not immediately available, but the unrest could be related to the earlier destruction by terrorists of a Shiite holy site in Samarra.
Since 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been laboring to bring Umm Qasr up to standard for international certification, which requires security assessments, security plans, trained security staff, security drills, coastguardsmen and ship-to-shore communication links.
Construction projects undertaken at Umm Qasr include an Iraqi Coast Guard forward operating base, security operation center, electrical upgrades, and perimeter security fencing.
Among the security facilities already finished or being constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are a perimeter chain-link fence, secure entry points and observation posts. The perimeter fencing will connect the previously separated North and South Ports for greater efficiency and security.
The Iraqi Reconstruction and Relief Fund, under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers management, underwrote the security projects.
Service in Umm Qasr continues to remain hazardous. On Jan. 31 a roadside bomb in Umm Qasr killed a British soldier, bringing the British military toll in the conflict to 100. U.S. troops have also been killed in Umm Qasr.
The Iraqi navy's two squadrons of 24 Predator class patrol boats are based in Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair. The units provide security for Iraq's Al Basrah and Kwar Al Amaya offshore oil terminals.
Khor Al Zubair port primarily handles dry goods, some oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
-0-
U.S. Central Command commander Gen. John Abizaid, during a visit to New Zealand, lauded New Zealand's contribution in Afghanistan, calling it "very helpful to the coalition."
Abizaid oversees 250,000 troops and covers operations involving much of the Middle East. He has been CENTCOM commander since July 2003.
Two days before Abizaid's arrival as part of a tour that also included Australia, New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said that the Bush administration did not give New Zealand sufficient credit for its role in the Pacific.
When asked about the issue during a Feb. 23 joint press conference with Prime Minister Helen Clark, Abizaid replied, "I can't say what role I think that New Zealand would play in the Pacific, but I can tell you that New Zealand's role in Afghanistan has been very helpful to the coalition. Very professional, very straightforward and very effective and we appreciate it."
The New Zealand Herald reported that Clark added, "Bear in mind Gen. Abizaid is responsible for the other half of the world; Admiral Fallon who was here in January looks after the Pacific," commenting that she was "thrilled to have the general here."
A Clark spokesman said that the two discussed New Zealand military operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Abizaid told journalists that there was no end in sight to the insurgencies in Afghanistan, noting an increase in al-Qaida suicide bombings and rising assassinations of people working with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
New Zealand has a 120-strong reconstruction team in Afghanistan.
While in October 2003 New Zealand sent 61 Defense Force personnel as a Light Engineer Group to Basra, they were brought home a year later. New Zealand is still represented in Iraq by liaison and staff officers working with coalition forces.
-0-
While authorities in Manila grapple with the consequences of a failed coup, 600 miles south of the capital U.S. and Filipino military medical teams are engaged in an overt "hearts-and-minds" campaign to convince local Muslims of the good intentions of the military and to wean them from supporting terrorism. On Feb. 22, hundreds of Filipino and American soldiers participating in the joint Balikatan 2006 military exercise began a two-day medical mission on the southern Philippine island of Jolo.
The Balikatan exercise involves approximately 5,500 U.S. personnel and 2,800 Filipino armed forces personnel.
Washington is moving swiftly to intensify is cooperation with the Philippines and the Balikatan exercise is just one of 37 joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises planned during Fiscal Year 2006.
Jolo is part of the autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The Mindanao island grouping includes the Sulu Archipelago, of which Jolo is a part.
Jolo, along with neighboring Basilan, is a known stronghold of the al-Qaida connected Abu Sayyaf Group.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Maj. Gamal Hayudini said thousands of mostly poor Muslims will benefit from the joint U.S.-Filipino medical mission in Panamao, with an estimated population of more than 35,000.
Hayudini told The Manila Times, "This is a good opportunity for many of our poor brothers in Panamao, because the joint Balikatan medical mission will bring help to the locals."
Jolo's military commander, Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo, said, "There will be lots of humanitarian activities in Jolo. There will also be more infrastructure projects and all these are part of the Balikatan program. This is not all only about military drill between our soldiers and U.S. troops."
Abqaiq processes daily about two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's 10.5-11 million barrels of oil and is the world's largest refinery. Abqaiq has the theoretical capacity to process up to 7 million barrels per day.
According to initial reports, security officials fired on at least two cars attempting to enter the facility, which exploded, killing the occupants.
An added reason why Abqaiq might have been chosen for attack over other Saudi facilities is the presence of Americans. According to a Feb. 23 Jamestown Terrorism Monitor report, nearly half of Abqaiq's inhabitants are U.S. citizens working at the facility.
Surrounding Abqaiq is a super-giant oil field with 17 billion barrels of proven reserves.
Abqaiq is the collection center for the wellhead oil from many of Saudi Arabia's major fields, including the "Big Three" -- Ghawar, Abqaiq and Shayba.
Following the attack, oil prices for April on the New York Mercantile Exchange Crude oil rose $2.06 to $62.60 a barrel.
Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nueimi said oil output was unaffected.
-0-
Operations at Iraq's Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair ports were suspended on Wednesday because of rioting nearby but resumed on Thursday, GAC Hot Port News reported.
The rioting is an ominous reminder of how unstable the situation in Iraq remains. Umm Qasr, on the Persian Gulf, is Iraq's sole significant "deep water" port. It is astride the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which leads into Basra. Shortly after the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Umm Qasr was declared to be under U.S. and British control.
Details on the rioting were not immediately available, but the unrest could be related to the earlier destruction by terrorists of a Shiite holy site in Samarra.
Since 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been laboring to bring Umm Qasr up to standard for international certification, which requires security assessments, security plans, trained security staff, security drills, coastguardsmen and ship-to-shore communication links.
Construction projects undertaken at Umm Qasr include an Iraqi Coast Guard forward operating base, security operation center, electrical upgrades, and perimeter security fencing.
Among the security facilities already finished or being constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are a perimeter chain-link fence, secure entry points and observation posts. The perimeter fencing will connect the previously separated North and South Ports for greater efficiency and security.
The Iraqi Reconstruction and Relief Fund, under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers management, underwrote the security projects.
Service in Umm Qasr continues to remain hazardous. On Jan. 31 a roadside bomb in Umm Qasr killed a British soldier, bringing the British military toll in the conflict to 100. U.S. troops have also been killed in Umm Qasr.
The Iraqi navy's two squadrons of 24 Predator class patrol boats are based in Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair. The units provide security for Iraq's Al Basrah and Kwar Al Amaya offshore oil terminals.
Khor Al Zubair port primarily handles dry goods, some oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
-0-
U.S. Central Command commander Gen. John Abizaid, during a visit to New Zealand, lauded New Zealand's contribution in Afghanistan, calling it "very helpful to the coalition."
Abizaid oversees 250,000 troops and covers operations involving much of the Middle East. He has been CENTCOM commander since July 2003.
Two days before Abizaid's arrival as part of a tour that also included Australia, New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said that the Bush administration did not give New Zealand sufficient credit for its role in the Pacific.
When asked about the issue during a Feb. 23 joint press conference with Prime Minister Helen Clark, Abizaid replied, "I can't say what role I think that New Zealand would play in the Pacific, but I can tell you that New Zealand's role in Afghanistan has been very helpful to the coalition. Very professional, very straightforward and very effective and we appreciate it."
The New Zealand Herald reported that Clark added, "Bear in mind Gen. Abizaid is responsible for the other half of the world; Admiral Fallon who was here in January looks after the Pacific," commenting that she was "thrilled to have the general here."
A Clark spokesman said that the two discussed New Zealand military operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Abizaid told journalists that there was no end in sight to the insurgencies in Afghanistan, noting an increase in al-Qaida suicide bombings and rising assassinations of people working with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
New Zealand has a 120-strong reconstruction team in Afghanistan.
While in October 2003 New Zealand sent 61 Defense Force personnel as a Light Engineer Group to Basra, they were brought home a year later. New Zealand is still represented in Iraq by liaison and staff officers working with coalition forces.
-0-
While authorities in Manila grapple with the consequences of a failed coup, 600 miles south of the capital U.S. and Filipino military medical teams are engaged in an overt "hearts-and-minds" campaign to convince local Muslims of the good intentions of the military and to wean them from supporting terrorism. On Feb. 22, hundreds of Filipino and American soldiers participating in the joint Balikatan 2006 military exercise began a two-day medical mission on the southern Philippine island of Jolo.
The Balikatan exercise involves approximately 5,500 U.S. personnel and 2,800 Filipino armed forces personnel.
Washington is moving swiftly to intensify is cooperation with the Philippines and the Balikatan exercise is just one of 37 joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises planned during Fiscal Year 2006.
Jolo is part of the autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The Mindanao island grouping includes the Sulu Archipelago, of which Jolo is a part.
Jolo, along with neighboring Basilan, is a known stronghold of the al-Qaida connected Abu Sayyaf Group.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Maj. Gamal Hayudini said thousands of mostly poor Muslims will benefit from the joint U.S.-Filipino medical mission in Panamao, with an estimated population of more than 35,000.
Hayudini told The Manila Times, "This is a good opportunity for many of our poor brothers in Panamao, because the joint Balikatan medical mission will bring help to the locals."
Jolo's military commander, Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo, said, "There will be lots of humanitarian activities in Jolo. There will also be more infrastructure projects and all these are part of the Balikatan program. This is not all only about military drill between our soldiers and U.S. troops."
posted by Marko at 2/24/2006 03:04:00 PM
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