BAGHDAD — Foreign oil companies operating in Iraq have tightened security procedures at the sites they manage as a precaution following a Nov. 1 attack on the Ahdab oil field, 180 kilometers [50 miles] southeast of Baghdad in Wasit province. Unidentified gunman stormed the site, west of Kut, and made off with money, weapons and equipment.The Oil Ministry has reassured the companies that the incident involved theft and nothing more.
The Ahdab field was developed and operated by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) under a technical services contract with the Iraqi government. Operations began there in 2011.