08-16-2013, 04:08 PM
Iraq’s northern Kirkuk pipeline to Turkey has faced problems for a long time now. Its old age means that it can only pump a fraction of its capacity. Turkish and Iraqi insurgent groups have bombed it for years. Now a series of leaks have shut it down for weeks during the summer. This has undercut the Oil Ministry’s desire to boost output, and led to plans to build a new pipeline to Turkey. It highlights the barriers that Iraq faces to achieve its goals of becoming one of the largest oil producers in the world.