IRAQ BLOWS UP ABOUT 2,500 OILFIELDS

Russian Information Agency Novosti ^ | 3/6/03

[gridlock]

That's only slightly less reliable than Weekly World News.

Maybe Bat Boy did it! Space Aliens?

[Sabertooth]

Blowing up the oilfields is a defensive measure. If this is true, it means we've already attacked. For that to be true, only days away from a showdown on the second UN resolution, we would have to have intelligence of an imminent WMD attack by Iraq, probably against Israel. In that case, since there have been no SCUD reports, we'd have already had to destroy Saddam's WMD capability, leaving burning oilfields his only remaining option.

Too many improbabilities. I'm not buying this.

[MizSterious]

"Does this mean Saddam lied? "

Maybe...or maybe it means Rather's "translator" (aka the actor) was fed bad data. I don't trust a word of that "interview."

[Snake65]

My guess is this is a translation problem. The story could be:
"Iraq has placed explosives at 2,500 oil fields that cover a vast area.

According to the IRNA agency, the demolition work near Sharjeh resulted in the explosion of an oil refinery near Kirkuk."

Sorry, but my Russian is 12 years old and VERY rusty.

[sam_paine]

ALTERNATE TRANSLATION:

---

TEHRAN, March 6, 2003. /from RIA Novosti correspondent Nikolai Terekhov/. - Iraq has [boobytrapped] 2,500 oil fields that cover a vast area.

According to the IRNA agency, the [boobytrapping] near Sharjeh resulted in the explosion of an oil refinery near Kirkuk.

Some oil-bearing wells were mined with antitank mines.

The Iraqi Army units are [digging in] around near Baghdad and Kirkuk round the clock to resist the US Army.

[shadowman99]

Is there a version available in Russian? Perhaps someone could do an independant translation.

[ewing]

I would think that this would be showing up on a weather satellite by now..(smoke and debris)

[McGruff]

Nothing on the TV news networks.

[steveo]

They set them self up the bomb.

[shadowman99]

All your oil are belong to us.

[jerseygirl]

You are right! Now, the President can make the speech announcing that, in light of Iraq's actions, we have decided to go ahead.

[Teacher317]

Those darn Russian teases...

(t.A.t.U. - affectionate Russian 18 year old lesbians who are insistent about making out at every available opportunity, and insisting that they will not be shamed into stopping... as if that was a danger, and not a PR gimmick.)

[ewing]

So the explosion is just the one refinery at Kirkuk?

[BillCompton]

Don't imagin this is true. Too many news folks in the area. How did you come across this?

[Sacajaweau]

I believe those wells are in a no-fly zone so I'm guessing it has not happened.

[MindBender26]

Big BS alert. Iraq AF does not have this capability, or anything close to it. #2, Had CENTCOMAF detected launch of that many A/C, would have been big alert time!

[Dog Gone]

Iraq doesn't even have 2500 oilfields, much less that many around the Kurdish areas.

[JohnMac]

My BS alarm is going off.