Two news items:
-Iraq’s Kurds are boosting crude output threefold by the end of 2015
-The Kurds will increase production to 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2015 from a current level of 320,000, said Sherko Jawdat, head of the natural resources committee in the Kurdish region’s parliament. Output will rise to 500,000 barrels a day by year-end, he said in an interview in Irbil, the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Exports are currently 200,000 barrels a day, Jawdat said, without providing a forecast.
- The Kurds’ efforts to export their own crude has provoked legal action by the central government in Baghdad and fanned speculation that the semiautonomous region will pursue greater independence.
“There will be negotiations soon to resolve financial, oil and economic issues,” Jawdat said.
- Iraq, excluding the Kurdish region, boosted oil exports to 2.54 million barrels a day in September from 2.37 million the previous month, Asim Jihad, an Oil Ministry spokesman, said Thursday. It generated $7 billion from September sales, he said. Almost all of the exports were from southern oil fields, which continue to produce without interruption amid the conflict with ISIS in northern Iraq.
Iraq, boosted oil exports after the outing of al Maliki. The Kurds are boosting oil too.
Turkey has been allowing the sale of Kurdish oil through its Mediterranean port of Ceyhan since May, despite legal action by Iraq’s federal government, which calls the trade illegal because the Oil Ministry in Baghdad hasn’t approved it. The KRG earned $1.3 billion from selling 14 million barrels of oil from February through September, with the money deposited at Turkey’s Halkbank, Jawdat said.At least 13 large shipments of Kurdish crude plus several smaller cargoes have loaded since May 24, according to tanker tracking data monitored by Bloomberg as of Sept. 29.
Turkey was working with the Kurds to ship out their oil despite the fact that al Maliki initiated legal action to block the oil sales
The government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki initiated legal actions to block companies from buying Kurdish oil.
Are the Kurds and Turkey really non cooperative or non aligned?What about ISIS and the Kurds? Readers here know I pretty much see Kurdish fighters as part of ISIS, all participating in a NATO backed charade.Which made this news item just a little more interesting to me............
Islamic State frees 70 Kurdish schoolchildren, possibly more, kidnapped in Syria
Why would ISIS free these children? If they are supposed to be terrorizing Kurds why would they free the Kurdish children? This doesn't make sense. ISIS has kidnapped plenty of Syrian children and they never free them. No, they don't. They murder them!. So why would ISIS show mercy for these children? Unless...?????I have some trouble with the numbers from the source, but, it's clear that ISIS aka NATO's fighters, released these children.
Islamic State jihadists last night freed 70 Kurdish schoolchildren its fighters kidnapped in northern Syria in May.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said parents had reported the release of the children, who are believed to be aged between 13 and 15.The group of 70 were among 153 schoolchildren, most of them boys, abducted on May 29 in the northern province of Aleppo on their way home from sitting school exams.It is not known why the group decided to free the 70 hostages, and the Observatory said that about 30 children were still being held.
I am scratching my head why the group decided to free them? The numbers don't add up- 70 freed, allegedly 30 remain held, but we are supposed to believe there were 153 children taken? More on this news hereThis news article suggests more then 70 were released
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadist group on Tuesday freed more than 70 Kurdish school children it kidnapped in northern Syria in May, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.There were no immediate details on why the group decided to free the children
I am very happy the children were released. That's good news. I just don't understand why the dreaded ISIS freed Kurdish children and murdered Syrian children.