Trucks Enlisted To Ease Iraqi Petrol Crisis

Convoy of oil trucks in Iraqi Kurdistan (file photo) (RFE/RL) 31 December 2005 -- In a bid to alleviate a gasoline shortage in Iraq, trucks began on 31 December to carry petrol from the main oil refinery at Baiji to cities across the country.

Iraq has suffered from severe gasoline shortages for the past 10 days, following the closure of pipelines and the Baiji refinery due to security problems.


Meanwhile, police said five people were killed when their car was hit by a roadside bomb outside the local offices of the Sunni Arab-led Iraqi Islamic Party in Al-Khalis, some 60 kilometers north of Baghdad.


Two policemen were also killed in Baghdad in bomb attacks.


In other news, Iraq's electoral commission today called again for political groups to remove some 90 former Ba'ath Party members from their tickets before the final election results are announced next week.


The de-Ba'athification commission said the party of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had the largest number of former Ba'athists on its list.


(AP/Reuters)

RFE/RL Iraq Report

RFE/RL Iraq Report


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