Iraq-Kurd Clash Cuts Oil Output at Disputed Kirkuk Fields
- Kurds stop pumping crude at two Kirkuk deposits: NOC official
- Oil flow to Turkish port slowing as Iraqi forces take control
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Crude output in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk province tumbled when two fields halted production as government troops pushed back Kurdish forces in an Iraqi offensive to regain control in the disputed area.
The Kurdish KAR Group stopped pumping crude at the Avana and Bai Hassan deposits after technicians failed to report for work and security guards left amid the fighting, an official at the central government-run North Oil Co. said Monday, without specifying how much oil the fields were producing before the halt. While the KAR Group operates the fields, NOC staff work with the Kurds at both sites, the official , asking not to be identified as they’re not authorized to speak to the media. Phone calls to the KAR Group on Tuesday went unanswered.