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Oil smuglling bankrolling terrorism
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AKI - [4/1/2006]
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Many border crossings are used to smuggle petrol out of the country, and revenues from such contraband are being used to fund terrorist activities in Iraq, according to the president of Iraq's Transparency Commission in Mosul, Dawud Baghistani. The Rabiya border crossing - which links Iraq and Syria - is "the most exploited for this type of activity," Baghistani told journalists on Friday.
"There are criminal gangs operating in neighbouring countries, which used petrol smuggling revenues to bankroll terrorist activities in Iraq," Baghistani stated.
"The Commission has launched a campaign to stop the trucks which transport petrol between Iraq and Syria through this point," he said. Of 1,200 vehicles, only 20 had documents that were in order; the remainder had been falsified or did not have the necessary official permits, Baghistani stated.
The official said he was in possession of highly sensitive information concerning the oil smuggling trade, and had been offered a bribe to conceal this. "I received an anonymous phone-call offering me a million dollars to allow the Rabiya border crossing to be used by oil smuggling lorries heading for Syria," he said.
Iraq's government has repeatedly admitted the existence of oil smuggling from Iraq to neighbouring countries, where the price of the contraband oil is much lower that that of crude oil. This situation has led to increases in the price of petrol in Iraq, where there are still shortages in the cities, sparking protests by the public.
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