Thursday, September 20, 2007
Smuggling rife over Kurdistan - Iran border
Crime
(Kurdish Globe) - Near Haji Omeran town near the Iranian border, northeast of Erbil province, smugglers market alcohol on a spot of ground they call Barzari Mashrubfroshan (Market of Alcohol Sellers).
The small smuggling bazaar is located on a foothill where hundreds of sellers hide inside their tents daily, waiting for Iranian customers while avoiding religious authorities who strictly forbid their contraband. The smugglers carry wine and other types of alcohol as well as cigarettes and other illegal items into Iran on the backs of their mules, while border guards from both countries are within eyesight.
In addition to the possibility of being shot by Iranian border guards, the smugglers take a very narrow, difficult path loaded with mines left behind from decades of regional wars. Already many have died in mine explosions. "Our work is very difficult. When smugglers leave toward the Iranian border, they are not sure that they will arrive safe," said Abdul-Aziz Adhami, a 44-year-old alcohol seller. Adhami has fled Iran because of a rebellious political background. "Till now, several of my friends have been shot to death by Iranian border guards."
The most popular starting points of smuggling at the border of Haji Omran-Iran are Bane, Marivan, and Qela Shin. These are the most crowded of many. Alcohol and foreign cigarettes, including Winston, Easton, Magna, etc., that are smuggled into Iran are strictly prohibited by Iranian authorities. Alcohol sellers and even users may face sentences of whipping or at least a monetary fine. Nevertheless, people, especially youths, buy it.
"Different kinds of cigarettes are smuggled to the other side and a little tax is paid to the government here," said Abdulla Hamad Amin, 26, owner of a cigarette store in that market. Whisky, vodka, and champagne are the most popular alcohol smuggled into Iran. They are sold for twice the original price to Iranian customers, and for cities further away from the border, prices get progressively more expensive. Smuggling is the only source of living for many families in Haji Omeran.
Alcohols and cigarettes mostly are legally imported into Kurdistan from the Ibrahim Khalil-Turkey border, where they are distributed through Kurdistan. However, Iranian border guards are very firm in preventing smugglers from entering their land, smugglers said. Meanwhile, observers in Kurdistan constantly accuse the Iranian government of not controlling its borders with Kurdistan, where drugs flow easily into the region.
According to smugglers, they easily cross the border into Kurdistan while carrying drugs. "Many smugglers sometimes pay bribes to Iranian checkpoint guards and import opium into Kurdistan," concluded Adhami.
The small smuggling bazaar is located on a foothill where hundreds of sellers hide inside their tents daily, waiting for Iranian customers while avoiding religious authorities who strictly forbid their contraband. The smugglers carry wine and other types of alcohol as well as cigarettes and other illegal items into Iran on the backs of their mules, while border guards from both countries are within eyesight.
In addition to the possibility of being shot by Iranian border guards, the smugglers take a very narrow, difficult path loaded with mines left behind from decades of regional wars. Already many have died in mine explosions. "Our work is very difficult. When smugglers leave toward the Iranian border, they are not sure that they will arrive safe," said Abdul-Aziz Adhami, a 44-year-old alcohol seller. Adhami has fled Iran because of a rebellious political background. "Till now, several of my friends have been shot to death by Iranian border guards."
The most popular starting points of smuggling at the border of Haji Omran-Iran are Bane, Marivan, and Qela Shin. These are the most crowded of many. Alcohol and foreign cigarettes, including Winston, Easton, Magna, etc., that are smuggled into Iran are strictly prohibited by Iranian authorities. Alcohol sellers and even users may face sentences of whipping or at least a monetary fine. Nevertheless, people, especially youths, buy it.
"Different kinds of cigarettes are smuggled to the other side and a little tax is paid to the government here," said Abdulla Hamad Amin, 26, owner of a cigarette store in that market. Whisky, vodka, and champagne are the most popular alcohol smuggled into Iran. They are sold for twice the original price to Iranian customers, and for cities further away from the border, prices get progressively more expensive. Smuggling is the only source of living for many families in Haji Omeran.
Alcohols and cigarettes mostly are legally imported into Kurdistan from the Ibrahim Khalil-Turkey border, where they are distributed through Kurdistan. However, Iranian border guards are very firm in preventing smugglers from entering their land, smugglers said. Meanwhile, observers in Kurdistan constantly accuse the Iranian government of not controlling its borders with Kurdistan, where drugs flow easily into the region.
According to smugglers, they easily cross the border into Kurdistan while carrying drugs. "Many smugglers sometimes pay bribes to Iranian checkpoint guards and import opium into Kurdistan," concluded Adhami.
Labels: alcohol, Barzari Mashrubfroshan, cigarettes, drugs, Haji Omeran, Iran, Kurdistan, smuggling
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Heavy Weapons And Aircraft To Increase Security In Basrah
Politics, Security
(Al Mada Newspaper) - 10 SEP - Basrah’s Operation Commander, General Mohan Hamidh Al Firaji, said the government will provide heavy weapons and aircraft for the security forces in Basrah. During the conference that was held in the Sadr office in Basrah, Al Firaji said the security forces in Basrah received heavy weapons such as tanks and other weapons.
Al Firaji said, “This week an Iraqi Air Force squadron should arrive to increase security in the city which we all want to be peaceful and secure.” Al Firaji continued by saying, “The security forces cannot keep security in any city without the help of the citizens and we are looking forward to Basrah’s citizens’ assistance to increase security because security is a national responsibility.” Gen. Al Firaji was appointed by Prime Minister, Nuri Al Maliki after the removal of the last security committee six weeks ago.
On Saturday, the Sadr office in Basrah held a conference named “Security and Stabilization.” This conference was attended by all national and religious parties as well as tribal sheikhs and prominent individuals. The conference was also attended by security commanders in Basrah.
On the security side, a source from the Oil Protection Force said that three benzene tankers were captured west of Basrah in separate operations. These tankers were heading to other governorates. On Saturday, the security and emergency forces caught two tankers. Each tanker was loaded with about 36,000 liters on the highway near Zubba oil field, 50 KM west of Basrah. The tankers were on their way to smuggle their fuel to other governorates. The two drivers were arrested and were carrying false documents.
The source added that the northern Basrah force captured another benzene tanker near the Al Tuba oil storage facility, 45 KM west of Basrah. It was loaded with 36,000 liters of fuel. In Basrah, there is a network of main oil pipe lines routed between the governorates or for export. These pipelines are often attacked by smugglers because they are difficult to secure due to their remote locations.
Al Firaji said, “This week an Iraqi Air Force squadron should arrive to increase security in the city which we all want to be peaceful and secure.” Al Firaji continued by saying, “The security forces cannot keep security in any city without the help of the citizens and we are looking forward to Basrah’s citizens’ assistance to increase security because security is a national responsibility.” Gen. Al Firaji was appointed by Prime Minister, Nuri Al Maliki after the removal of the last security committee six weeks ago.
On Saturday, the Sadr office in Basrah held a conference named “Security and Stabilization.” This conference was attended by all national and religious parties as well as tribal sheikhs and prominent individuals. The conference was also attended by security commanders in Basrah.
On the security side, a source from the Oil Protection Force said that three benzene tankers were captured west of Basrah in separate operations. These tankers were heading to other governorates. On Saturday, the security and emergency forces caught two tankers. Each tanker was loaded with about 36,000 liters on the highway near Zubba oil field, 50 KM west of Basrah. The tankers were on their way to smuggle their fuel to other governorates. The two drivers were arrested and were carrying false documents.
The source added that the northern Basrah force captured another benzene tanker near the Al Tuba oil storage facility, 45 KM west of Basrah. It was loaded with 36,000 liters of fuel. In Basrah, there is a network of main oil pipe lines routed between the governorates or for export. These pipelines are often attacked by smugglers because they are difficult to secure due to their remote locations.
The first pipeline is the first strategic line north of Al Rumaila Al Shamaliya. The second main pipeline is the National Investment Pipeline which is also in Al Rumaila Al Shamaliya. The pump pipeline is located in Zubayr One. There is also the Bazargan to Faw pipeline and the Nahr Omr to Shatt Al Basrah Pipeline, the Al Hizma Al Sharqiya Pipeline and the Iraqi / Saudi Pipeline (Zubayr Two to Al Majiz).
Labels: Basra Oil Protection Force, Basrah, fuel tankers, General Mohan Hamidh Al Firaji, smuggling, Zubba oilfield
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Billions of dollars of Iraqi oil production unaccounted for
Oil
(Reuters) - Billions of dollars' worth of Iraq's declared oil production over the past four years is unaccounted for, possibly having been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling, The New York Times said on Saturday. Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels of Iraq's daily output of roughly 2 million barrels is missing, it said, citing a draft report prepared by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and government energy analysts which is expected to be released next week.
The discrepancy was valued between $5 million and $15 million daily, using a $50 per barrel average, the report said. That adds up to billions of dollars over the four years since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The newspaper was provided the draft report by a separate government office that received a review copy.
The GAO declined to discuss the draft, the paper said. The report did not make a final conclusion on what happened to the missing oil, and provided alternative explanations besides corruption or smuggling, including possible Iraqi overstating of its production. A State Department official who works on energy matters offered possible explanations including pipeline sabotage, or inaccurate reporting of oil production in southern Iraq.
"It could also be theft," the Times quoted the unnamed official as saying, with suspicion falling on southern Shi'ite militias. "Crude oil is not as lucrative in the region as refined products, but we're not ruling that out either," the official said."There is not an issue of insurgency, per se, but it could be funding Shia factions, and that could very well be true.""That would be a concern if they were using smuggling money to blow up American soldiers or kill Sunnis or do anything that could harm the unity of the country," the Times quoted the official as saying.
The newspaper characterized the report as the most comprehensive look thus far at what it called faltering U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq's oil and electricity sectors. The GAO tapped experts at the Energy Information Administration within the United States Department of Energy for its oil analysis. Erik Kreil, an oil expert at the administration who is familiar with the analysis, said a review of industry figures worldwide indicated Iraq's stated production figures did not add up.
"Either they're producing less, or they're producing what they say and the difference is completely unaccounted for in any of the places we think it should go," Kreil told the Times. "Either it's overly optimistic, or it's unaccounted for." Analysts outside the government said such a large discrepancy indicated that there was either a major smuggling operation in place or that Iraq was not generating accurate production figures, the newspaper added.
Labels: corruption, GAO, Iraq Oil, smuggling, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Saturday, April 28, 2007
U.S. forces detain men suspected of smuggling EFPs from Iran
Security
(AP) - US forces have detained seven men suspected of smuggling or aiding the transport of explosives from Iran to Iraq. A statement from the US military command in Iraq said on Friday that the men were detained during an operation in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver, a military spokesman, said: "The individuals targeted during the raid are suspected members of a secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq. "Individuals coming into Iraq from other countries for the purpose of endangering Iraqi civilians and disrupting security won't be tolerated." In January, US officials said at least 170 US soldiers had been killed by EFPs since 2004.
Labels: EFP, explosively formed projectiles, explosives, Iran, Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver, Sadr City, smuggling
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Cartels control oil and vehicle smuggling in the south
Security
(Iraq Directory) - Adviser of the Minister of Transport in the southern region, Thamir Alftlawi, drew the attention to the aggravated smuggling operations through a region on the Gulf at the entrance of Shatt al-Arab. He said that: the area which is about four kilometers wide is located near Al-Awama Five, pointing out that what he called mafias are smuggling oil and receiving ships loaded with cars not allowed to be imported.
It seems that the American forces which exert influence on this spot to protect oil tankers do not bother the coming and departure of the smuggling ships. Al-Fatlawi said: this encouraged smugglers to carry out massive mutual smuggling operations, explaining that the Iraqi security authorities are banned from interfering because the region is under the influence of foreign forces.
The depth of Iraqi territorial waters is 12 miles where smugglers use boats with cranes to unload cargo from the coming ships which are loaded with prohibited cars several miles away while the smuggling of oil products particularly kerosine, or the so-called diesel, are carried out from the coast that the smuggling groups are called diesel mafia.
The ports of Basrah are under the control of Iraqi forces which form more than a department. Brigadier Hakeem Al-Jassam, Director prescriptive of the Coast Guard, said: his brigade which is sharing security with naval force is prepared to impose its control over the region and prevent smuggling operations on condition it is provide with boats and vehicles like those used by smugglers. According to Al-Jassam, smuggling groups possess the technical and military supplies to keep its operations safe and confidential as evidenced by their ownership of armored boats.
According to information, the smuggled cars come to Iraq from the ports of Dubai, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Al-Hamriyah, but the Advisor to the Minister of Transport in the southern region did not clarify whether the quantities of smuggled kerosine go to those ports or not. Iraqi ports are suffering of many problems and challenges and this pattern of smuggling represents the most severe one; observers kept accusing parties and officials to stand behind these operations, but the Advisor said that: specialized gangs stand behind those operations and that the local government in the province, is making a great effort to pursue them.
It seems that the American forces which exert influence on this spot to protect oil tankers do not bother the coming and departure of the smuggling ships. Al-Fatlawi said: this encouraged smugglers to carry out massive mutual smuggling operations, explaining that the Iraqi security authorities are banned from interfering because the region is under the influence of foreign forces.
The depth of Iraqi territorial waters is 12 miles where smugglers use boats with cranes to unload cargo from the coming ships which are loaded with prohibited cars several miles away while the smuggling of oil products particularly kerosine, or the so-called diesel, are carried out from the coast that the smuggling groups are called diesel mafia.
The ports of Basrah are under the control of Iraqi forces which form more than a department. Brigadier Hakeem Al-Jassam, Director prescriptive of the Coast Guard, said: his brigade which is sharing security with naval force is prepared to impose its control over the region and prevent smuggling operations on condition it is provide with boats and vehicles like those used by smugglers. According to Al-Jassam, smuggling groups possess the technical and military supplies to keep its operations safe and confidential as evidenced by their ownership of armored boats.
According to information, the smuggled cars come to Iraq from the ports of Dubai, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Al-Hamriyah, but the Advisor to the Minister of Transport in the southern region did not clarify whether the quantities of smuggled kerosine go to those ports or not. Iraqi ports are suffering of many problems and challenges and this pattern of smuggling represents the most severe one; observers kept accusing parties and officials to stand behind these operations, but the Advisor said that: specialized gangs stand behind those operations and that the local government in the province, is making a great effort to pursue them.
Labels: Al-Awama Five, cars, Ministry of Transport, oil, Shatt al-Arab, smuggling, Thamir Alftlawi
