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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LowtherAcademy who wrote (103432)	2/25/2006 9:05:11 PM
From: LowtherAcademy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

Looks like Al-Qaeda is getting their game plan together: Civil war in Iraq, Nuclear processing in Iran, and disruption of oil flow from the Saudis. Wonder if Zippy is going to cut back on his vacation schedule this spring?? Interesting times ahead. Lew The Sunday Times February 26, 2006 Al-Qaeda pledges war on Saudi oil plants Syed Rashid Husain, Al-Khobar and Peter Conradi AL-QAEDA has threatened to launch further strikes to force “infidels” out of the Arabian peninsula after admitting responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on the world’s largest crude oil processing plant. A local branch of Al-Qaeda said yesterday it had carried out the raid on the complex at Abqaiq, in the east of Saudi Arabia, which processes 5m-7m barrels of oil a day — up to 8% of the world’s consumption. The bombing, named Operation Bin Laden Conquest, was part of efforts to prevent the “theft” of Muslims’ wealth by “crusaders and Jews”, according to a statement signed “Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula” — the name of the terrorist network’s Saudi affiliate. “There are more like them who are racing toward martyrdom and eager to fight the enemies of God, the Jews, the crusaders and their stooges, the renegade rulers” of Arab countries, the statement said. “You will see things that will make you happy, God willing.” The huge facility, 35 miles from Dhahran, plays a pivotal role in the operations of Saudi Aramco. Besides the oil it processes itself, Abqaiq also handles an estimated 5m barrels a day from the Ghawar oil well. More than 90% of Saudi crude exports pass through the plant. Al-Qaeda had long threatened to attack Saudi Arabia’s oil plants, but this was the first time it had tried to do so. Militants linked to the group had previously killed foreigners working in the oil industry, but had not targeted the facilities. The strike sent oil futures in New York up $2.37 a barrel to $62.40 despite assurances by Ali Naimi, the Saudi oil minister, that production had continued without interruption. Analysts said prices would have risen by tens of dollars if the terrorists had succeeded in hitting the plant itself. The attack, although thwarted, represented a serious blow for the Saudi authorities. The country suffered months of terrorist atrocities beginning in May 2003, when 35 people died in a series of bombings on compounds housing foreigners in Riyadh. But there had been no major incidents since December 2004, when terrorists stormed the American consulate, killing five employees. Saudi authorities claimed afterwards to have crippled the insurgency by killing several Al-Qaeda leaders. They included Saleh al-Awfi, the organisation’s head in Saudi Arabia, who died in a gun battle with police in the holy city of Medina in August 2005. Officials warned, however, that the group — which is believed to draw support from disaffected young Saudi men — will remain a threat in the kingdom for several years to come. Security has been stepped up at oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer, in recent months in response to threats by Al-Qaeda. In a statement issued before the attack Saudi Aramco said it remained “on alert at all times” to secure the world’s largest oil fields. The company is believed to employ 5,000 security guards who use helicopters, boats, cameras and other protection equipment. Saudi Arabia holds more than 260 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, a quarter of the world’s total. It produces 9.5m barrels a day, equivalent to 11% of global consumption. Some analysts tried to put a positive gloss on the attack, suggesting its failure showed the strength of security. For others, however, it appeared to have opened a new and potentially even more damaging front in Al-Qaeda’s campaign to undermine the West. Michael Fitzpatrick, a New York-based oil expert, said Abqaiq was a “very tempting target for any opponent of the regime”, adding: “This forces us to focus on the worsening security situation in that part of the world.”