Our enemies know that the life-blood of our economy and our society is oil. And it is no coincidence that as a result, oil prices have now risen to highs that were a short time ago, unimaginable. And there is no doubt that the Islamists have a strategy in place for making this situation as bad as possible.
Back in 2005, Christopher Dickey writing for Newsweek wrote
"They're watching Katrina. They're watching Rita. They're watching what it's doing to the United States," says former CIA agent Robert Baer, who has written extensively on Saudi Arabia's vulnerabilities. A few ruptured pipes could be repaired quickly, says Baer, but a concerted attack at several points could bring on the kind of nightmare scenario that U.S. officials have been dreading since the Reagan years, pushing oil prices up from their current prices in the range of $60 to $70 a barrel to well over $100 for weeks or even months.
That same year
Al-Qaida's deputy leader called for attacks against Gulf oil facilities and urged insurgent groups in Iraq to unite to drive out American forces, according to a videotape posted on the Internet Wednesday.
There were attempted attacks on Saudi Oil fields and more recently Nigeria's oil fields are under constant attack.
World oil prices yesterday hit a record of $117.40 a barrel following militants attacks on pipelines in Nigeria...
The militant group behind the attack who claimed that they have launched two more attacks on oil pipelines yesterday says they are doing that to stop injustice to the region but the governor of Rivers State,Rotimi Amaechi, had, at a Niger Delta oil security forum in Abuja, debunked this claim by the militants saying that they are only self seeking criminals who are into purely economic venture for themselves.
The groups perpetrating these attacks are mostly Nationalists, but radical Islamists are looking to support them as a way of furthering their own goals
Although the majority of Muslims live in the northern region of Nigeria, the presence of Islamic extremism in the country presents an unsettling possibility that the extremist movement could reach the Niger Delta. If it does, there’s a strong possibility that the MEND may form a temporary alliance with Islamic radicals, if only to receive logistical support or training. This temporary union would most likely take the form of an objective-oriented alignment between radical Muslims and the MEND.
It has long been a goal of al-Qaeda to damage American economic power by attacking oil facilities and targets. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross notedin his article “Al-Qaeda’s Oil Weapon” that in a December, 2004 audiotape, Osama bin Laden stated that “one of the main causes for our enemies' gaining hegemony over our country is their stealing our oil; therefore, you should make every effort in your power to stop the greatest theft in history of the natural resources of both present and future generations.” Moreover, Ayman al-Zawahiri gave an interview in 2005 where he called for the mujahideen to “focus their attacks on the oil wells stolen from the Muslims, because most of the revenues of this oil go to the enemies of Islam.”
There can be little doubt that recent attacks on oil tankers were perpetrated by Islamic extremists.
Suspected militants in Pakistan have blown up 36 oil tankers that supply fuel to U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistani officials Monday said the attackers set off two bombs near the trucks, triggering fires and explosions Sunday night in the Khyber tribal district. At least 70 people were wounded.
More than 80 oil tankers bound for Afghanistan were parked in the area when the explosion happened.
Heavily armed pirates Monday attacked and damaged a huge oil tanker off the Somali coast using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, a Malaysian-based maritime watchdog said...
"Pirates on five speed boats attacked the tanker, the size of a football field. It was a night raid. A missile-like rocket was launched at the ship. Initial reports said the ship suffered some damage," he said.
"I believe the Somali pirates could have used rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire on the tanker with the aim to board and possibly hijack her," Choong said.
"But the tanker increased speed and managed to prevent the pirates from boarding and taking control of the oil tanker," he added...
The waters off Nigeria and Somalia are the world's most dangerous hotspots for seafarers, with pirate attacks increasing globally in the first quarter of this year, the IMB said Wednesday.
...off the coast of Yemen, a Japanese tanker was hit by a rocket. Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta warned that it would intensify attacks on Shell pipelines.
In fact, the latest ICC Commercial Crime Services Weekly Piracy Report notes in addition to the above incidents
16.04.2008: 0640 UTC: 14:02.0N-050:35.9E: Gulf of Aden.
A tanker underway was approached and trailed by two, 15-meter long boats. One boat had three persons in it and had a yellow hull. The other boat had five persons in it and had a white hull. Crew alerted and all anti piracy, preventive measures enforced. Ship took evasive manoeuvres. The two suspicious boats moved away and headed in a southwesterly direction. Ship reported to a coalition warship in the area. When warship arrived in the area, the suspicious boats disappeared....15.04.2008: 0600 UTC: 14:35.8N - 050:55.7E, Gulf of Aden.
Three speedboats approached a LPG tanker underway. The boats crossed the bow of the tanker several times. Master altered course and contacted coalition warship in the vicinity. After five minutes the boats moved away and stopped 2.5nm from the tanker.14.04.2008: 1622 UTC: 15:17N - 052:23E, Gulf of Aden.
Four speedboats approached a tanker underway. At 3nm master altered course and the boats moved away.
And that's just so far this month.
It is clear that the strategic imperative of the US needs to be less reliance on Foreign Oil. Alternative energy sources and more fuel efficient cars are fine and will eventually help.
But not today.
More nuclear power plants are required and they will help.
But not today.
More drilling in ANWAR and off our coasts could have helped today, but Democrats and other opponents prevented that from happening back in 2005, the same year al Qeda was announcing their anti-oil strategy.
After the Democrats victory in 2006, the Carter mentality took over. Oil drilling was out, big oil was evil, higher taxes the remedy for greed, and conservation and "alternatives" were in. I paid $4.05 per gallon for my last fill up. Is it too low yet?
...In the Gulf of Mexico, Jack No. 2 well documented massive oil reserves in U.S. waters similar in scope to these Brazilian fields. The U.S. reaction? No more drilling there. Instead, the nearby Cubans (aided by the oil-thirsty Chinese) will drill in international waters in the same field....
Last year, Congress even forbid the purchase by the U.S. Navy of this Canadian oil because of the "damage" the extraction of the oil did to the planet.
When you go to the gas pump and the $4 gas becomes $5 and then $10 per gallon, remember this is a self-inflicted price brought to you by the Carterite Democrats in Congress. The ghost of Reagan pleads with us to drill the oil literally bubbling up under our feet and shatter OPEC once more.
It seems, it's not just Islamic extremists who are attacking our oil supplies
