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Q&A: The new head of Iraq's energy security
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Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim, then the director general of the Interior
Ministry's Oil Police, in a 2010 smuggler's bust in Baghdad. Ibrahim will now head
up a new Energy Police directorate that will include oil, electricity and
transportation infrastructure security. (BEN LANDO/Iraq Oil Report)
By BEN VAN HEUVELEN of Iraq Oil Report
Published December 13, 2011
BAGHDAD - Iraq is ending an era of patchwork protection for its most important
infrastructure, handing responsibility for all energy sector security to a single,
new organization: the Energy Police.
Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim is leading the effort. The new organization is both
an expansion and a reorganization of the Oil Police, which Ibrahim has led since its
inception in 2007.
The Energy Police will ultimately protect all infrastructure related to not only oil
and electricity, but also railways, reconstruction projects, and even historical
sites. The Oil Police still exists, beneath the umbrella of the Energy Police, which
is a directorate within the Interior Ministry.
The new organizational scheme aims to provide cohesion and unity to a security
effort that has been fractured and uneven. To date, much of the country's energy
infrastructure has been guarded by the Iraqi Army, Oil Ministry security,
pro-government militia forces, and local and federal police – many of whom have
not proven as capable as the Oil Police.
Iraq's energy infrastructure has suffered a series of attacks this year, as
saboteurs temporarily knocked its two largest refineries off line, bombed facilities
near its largest oil field, Rumaila, and continued regular attacks on its enormous
network of pipelines.
Some of these attacks were on infrastructure protected by the Oil Police. The
government response was finally agreeing to Ibrahim's demands for more funding,
training, technology and authority.
As the U.S. military takes its final steps towards the exit, Iraq Oil Report talked
with Ibrahim about the challenges ahead and how the Energy Police are preparing to
meet them.
Ben Van Heuvelen: U.S. troops are about to withdraw from Iraq. What kinds of
assistance have they been providing you in these final months?
Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim: The U.S. military general in charge of the northern area, he
has been very helpful and honestly he was very close to us, and kindly helped us
directly. With this withdrawal especially, he sent us some vehicles from their
military camps. They brought them directly to our oil facilities.
(U.S. Brig. Gen. James) Pasquarette, he had very good interest in helping us. He
visited us here four times, and we went with him to explore the area in the north,
where the pipelines are, in helicopters. He gave us about 800 vehicles, Fords. They
helped us greatly. They provided us with vehicles and training; they helped us
building two training centers, in the north and here.
With the end of 2011, we have been conducting good training programs with NATO.
Their program includes about 15 training courses, and so far we have finished five.
We have reached a level designated "T5." The first training courses were for both
officers and staff.
BVH: What has this training consisted of?
HAI: There are two different levels of training courses, some for officers and some
for staff. Some courses for protecting pipelines, some courses for protecting
trucks. These courses have been at Camp Dublin. All of the training courses are
inside Iraq.
BVH: I've heard that NATO has had trouble negotiating their ability to stay, and
will have to leave soon. Will this impact your training?
HAI: Whether NATO stays here or not, this is not the decision of the Energy Police.
This is up to the government. We receive notification from high up, and it's not
under our control. We have done what we could through NATO. We got a benefit from
them, using their training and all they did for us. If they leave, we have other
options.
We already have in Camp Dublin the cooperation with the Iraqi National Police to
create a training center. We already have the courses (provided by NATO), so we
could use our own professional trainers to do the training courses.
Also, we have new programs with the big oil companies, like BP, Shell, and Lukoil.
We have programs with them to do training. The first one will open soon with BP at
Rumaila.
BVH: The oil companies will provide training programs for the Energy Police?
HAI: We have the cooperation of all of the big oil companies. Now we are in charge
of the security of all of these facilities that they are working: from Najman and
Qayara, Badra, the facility of the Chinese company working in Wasit, etc., and all
of the other big companies, etc.
We have new programs with all of these international oil companies.
For example, some big oil companies are building checkpoints; they are building the
search areas for bomb-sniffing dogs. Whether they are international oil companies,
or whether they are Iraqi oil companies like SOC and NOC, they do this. So we are
working with them, and our focus is also on the south because the big oil companies
are working in the south.
BVH: Will the oil companies be hiring private companies to do training? How will
this work?
HAI: We have from these big oil companies – these are big oil companies, working
in different parts of the world. They have special trainers, security people. So, we
can either do joint training courses that they could do for us, or they could
prepare training centers for us.
For example, BP and Shell are big companies. We already have signed with them an
agreement for cooperation, so this could be part of that cooperation.
BVH: I hear there are some big changes happening with the Oil Police. Can you give
an overview of what this reorganization will look like, and what will happen?
HAI: It has already happened. We have already formed it. We have officially formed
what is called the General Directorate of the Energy Police. The Energy Police is
the main directorate, and it has five sub-directorates: first, the Oil Police
directorate; second, the Electricity Police; third, the Railway Police; fourth, the
Antiquities Police; and the fifth one is called the Directorate of Investment
Companies and Reconstruction Protection.
On Nov. 20, the official order from the prime minister's office came to us, through
the Interior Ministry, and we started on the formation of this directorate on that
date, Nov. 20.
BVH: What is the leadership structure of this? Who is in charge?
HAI: I am: Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim.
BVH: Can you tell us who will be leading the Oil and Electricity police directorates?
HAI: We haven't issued the order yet. It has yet to be assigned. I could give you
some names… but they might be changed. We are still now in the stage of choosing.
Of course there will be heads of these directorates.
BVH: What facilities are you are going to be protecting?
HAI: You could say that as the Energy Police, we will provide protection for all
vital institutions here in Iraq.
BVH: To clarify, is the goal for the Energy Police to provide all security for all
energy infrastructure?
HAI: Yes, of course. It is the general directorate that is charge of all energy
facilities.
But there are priorities, such as the refineries, the oil storage facilities, which
are more important than others to the people. In general, what we have been
providing for refineries, oil storage, and equipment to the oil sector – we will
provide this to all of the other sectors.
BVH: So there are many additional facilities you will now gain responsibility for.
HAI: Of course, more facilities. And it is not just a suggestion of what "will"
happen; beginning on Nov. 20, it already came under my responsibility, protecting
all of these pieces of infrastructure and institutions.
BVH: In the past, the Iraqi Army has had responsibility for some facilities. Are you
taking over those facilities from the army?
HAI: We started to receive the responsibilities of some army areas. In the western
areas, we have received the most dangerous areas in Anbar. We have started to
receive the pipelines protection. Those people who used to be security guards for
the pipelines, now we are moving them to be staff in the Oil Police.
BVH: So, you are adding staff.
HAI: Yesterday we added 3,700 new staff.
BVH: These are people who used to report to the Iraqi Army, and are now reporting to
the Energy Police?
HAI: No, they used to work as security guards on these oil facilities, under the
staff of the Oil Ministry. Now they belong to the Oil Police.
BVH: So, there must be additional funding coming in?
HAI: Indeed, we have a new budget for the Oil Police, and also the Oil Ministry sent
us funds that they used to receive, allocated for these activities.
BVH: What is the increase to your budget, and what is the new total?
HAI: All I can say is that we have an independent budget that comes to us. We have
our own budget, as Energy Police. I don't have a specific figure, because we always
keep flexibility to increase and decrease. We have enough for all of the staff and
to buy all of the additional things we need, from equipment for officers to
furniture for offices. We are always increasing.
BVH: So, just to clarify, the Energy Police is a directorate within the Interior
Ministry, but you have independent authority over your budget?
HAI: Yes, we are within the Interior Ministry. Our budget comes from the Interior
Ministry. And we have flexibility to increase it.
BVH: How many people are currently in the Energy Police, now that you have added 3,700?
HAI: I'm just talking about what we added to the Oil Police, those 3,700. We added
this number yesterday, the official letter was issued. But now we are trying to
employ more of those guards, who used to be security guards employed by the Oil
Ministry, to protect these oil facilities. As soon as they meet the specifications
of the Oil Police, then we can add them.
We can't give you the specific number now for different reasons. First, we are just
at the beginning of the formation. Second, some of these formations – parts of the
oil, the electricity, and other forces – they are under the provincial councils.
We need some time to figure out how much they will report to us.
BVH: So, some of these other forces that will join the Energy Police currently
belong to the provincial councils?
HAI: These are some complicated things with the Iraqi administrative system.
Everything should belong to the Energy Police, but some of them are still connected
to the local governments, to protect some areas and some facilities belonging to the
provincial governments.
Technically, they should belong to the Energy Police now. But these are still –
you know, we are exchanging letters, asking, "Do you need to separate them from us,
or do you want to move these forces over to us?" These are technical issues.
BVH: Where did this idea come from, to form the Energy Police? What is your goal for
the size of this force?
HAI: This suggestion to become Energy Police was my suggestion. Me personally, I
will be especially focused in two sectors. Because the energy sector, which is oil
and electricity, is very important for the people. It's very vital; it reaches the
lives of people. This will determine whether the government can be successful or
not.
Our goal will never end. We have expansion in the oil sector and the electricity
sector. We are expecting news power plants. We are expecting new refineries. We are
expecting new oil storage facilities and fuel storage for power plants. Our goal
will never end.
Only when we have stopped building plants and facilities, then (the Energy Police)
will say, "We have this, we are done." Until then, we will always have more to
protect, and have more expansion.
BVH: Is there a good way to quantify the current size of the organization, in terms
of staff or budget?
HAI: Only the Oil Police, it has 50 battalions.
BVH: How many in each battalion?
HAI: You are going a different way to get the number. You could say that these are
"systematic battalions," and each one is between 700 to 800. This is only the Oil
Police.
Only the pipelines in Iraq, we have more than 7,500 kilometers of pipeline alone.
BVH: Speaking of challenges, the energy sector sustained some attacks earlier this
year, most notably at the Beiji and Daura refineries, and near Rumaila oil field.
What have you done to respond to these threats?
HAI: After the incidents in Daura and other places, we are happy about the security
measures we have taken. There used to be many attacks, and now there is huge
improvement. Security is rising.
Big challenges have always been there, from al-Qaeda especially – and especially
against the oil sector. If you go out to Beiji, you will find that it's very
different. Cameras, walls, security systems – we have focused on two things: to
bring new technology to support the logistics, and getting the right equipment.
The feeling that we have from the prime minister during the national security
meetings, is that he himself is very focused on providing security and all of the
needs and equipment for the oil sector.
BVH: What steps have you taken to continue fighting oil smuggling?
HAI: We have reduced smuggling by more than 80 percent. This year, we have seized
more than 30 trucks used for smuggling. We have Oil Police centers in different
parts of the country. One thing that has helped us has been Law number 41 from 2008,
which designates smuggling as an offense akin to terrorism.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim, then the director general of the Interior
Ministry's Oil Police, in a 2010 smuggler's bust in Baghdad. Ibrahim will now head
up a new Energy Police directorate that will include oil, electricity and
transportation infrastructure security. (BEN LANDO/Iraq Oil Report)
By BEN VAN HEUVELEN of Iraq Oil Report
Published December 13, 2011
BAGHDAD - Iraq is ending an era of patchwork protection for its most important
infrastructure, handing responsibility for all energy sector security to a single,
new organization: the Energy Police.
Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim is leading the effort. The new organization is both
an expansion and a reorganization of the Oil Police, which Ibrahim has led since its
inception in 2007.
The Energy Police will ultimately protect all infrastructure related to not only oil
and electricity, but also railways, reconstruction projects, and even historical
sites. The Oil Police still exists, beneath the umbrella of the Energy Police, which
is a directorate within the Interior Ministry.
The new organizational scheme aims to provide cohesion and unity to a security
effort that has been fractured and uneven. To date, much of the country's energy
infrastructure has been guarded by the Iraqi Army, Oil Ministry security,
pro-government militia forces, and local and federal police – many of whom have
not proven as capable as the Oil Police.
Iraq's energy infrastructure has suffered a series of attacks this year, as
saboteurs temporarily knocked its two largest refineries off line, bombed facilities
near its largest oil field, Rumaila, and continued regular attacks on its enormous
network of pipelines.
Some of these attacks were on infrastructure protected by the Oil Police. The
government response was finally agreeing to Ibrahim's demands for more funding,
training, technology and authority.
As the U.S. military takes its final steps towards the exit, Iraq Oil Report talked
with Ibrahim about the challenges ahead and how the Energy Police are preparing to
meet them.
Ben Van Heuvelen: U.S. troops are about to withdraw from Iraq. What kinds of
assistance have they been providing you in these final months?
Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim: The U.S. military general in charge of the northern area, he
has been very helpful and honestly he was very close to us, and kindly helped us
directly. With this withdrawal especially, he sent us some vehicles from their
military camps. They brought them directly to our oil facilities.
(U.S. Brig. Gen. James) Pasquarette, he had very good interest in helping us. He
visited us here four times, and we went with him to explore the area in the north,
where the pipelines are, in helicopters. He gave us about 800 vehicles, Fords. They
helped us greatly. They provided us with vehicles and training; they helped us
building two training centers, in the north and here.
With the end of 2011, we have been conducting good training programs with NATO.
Their program includes about 15 training courses, and so far we have finished five.
We have reached a level designated "T5." The first training courses were for both
officers and staff.
BVH: What has this training consisted of?
HAI: There are two different levels of training courses, some for officers and some
for staff. Some courses for protecting pipelines, some courses for protecting
trucks. These courses have been at Camp Dublin. All of the training courses are
inside Iraq.
BVH: I've heard that NATO has had trouble negotiating their ability to stay, and
will have to leave soon. Will this impact your training?
HAI: Whether NATO stays here or not, this is not the decision of the Energy Police.
This is up to the government. We receive notification from high up, and it's not
under our control. We have done what we could through NATO. We got a benefit from
them, using their training and all they did for us. If they leave, we have other
options.
We already have in Camp Dublin the cooperation with the Iraqi National Police to
create a training center. We already have the courses (provided by NATO), so we
could use our own professional trainers to do the training courses.
Also, we have new programs with the big oil companies, like BP, Shell, and Lukoil.
We have programs with them to do training. The first one will open soon with BP at
Rumaila.
BVH: The oil companies will provide training programs for the Energy Police?
HAI: We have the cooperation of all of the big oil companies. Now we are in charge
of the security of all of these facilities that they are working: from Najman and
Qayara, Badra, the facility of the Chinese company working in Wasit, etc., and all
of the other big companies, etc.
We have new programs with all of these international oil companies.
For example, some big oil companies are building checkpoints; they are building the
search areas for bomb-sniffing dogs. Whether they are international oil companies,
or whether they are Iraqi oil companies like SOC and NOC, they do this. So we are
working with them, and our focus is also on the south because the big oil companies
are working in the south.
BVH: Will the oil companies be hiring private companies to do training? How will
this work?
HAI: We have from these big oil companies – these are big oil companies, working
in different parts of the world. They have special trainers, security people. So, we
can either do joint training courses that they could do for us, or they could
prepare training centers for us.
For example, BP and Shell are big companies. We already have signed with them an
agreement for cooperation, so this could be part of that cooperation.
BVH: I hear there are some big changes happening with the Oil Police. Can you give
an overview of what this reorganization will look like, and what will happen?
HAI: It has already happened. We have already formed it. We have officially formed
what is called the General Directorate of the Energy Police. The Energy Police is
the main directorate, and it has five sub-directorates: first, the Oil Police
directorate; second, the Electricity Police; third, the Railway Police; fourth, the
Antiquities Police; and the fifth one is called the Directorate of Investment
Companies and Reconstruction Protection.
On Nov. 20, the official order from the prime minister's office came to us, through
the Interior Ministry, and we started on the formation of this directorate on that
date, Nov. 20.
BVH: What is the leadership structure of this? Who is in charge?
HAI: I am: Maj. Gen. Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim.
BVH: Can you tell us who will be leading the Oil and Electricity police directorates?
HAI: We haven't issued the order yet. It has yet to be assigned. I could give you
some names… but they might be changed. We are still now in the stage of choosing.
Of course there will be heads of these directorates.
BVH: What facilities are you are going to be protecting?
HAI: You could say that as the Energy Police, we will provide protection for all
vital institutions here in Iraq.
BVH: To clarify, is the goal for the Energy Police to provide all security for all
energy infrastructure?
HAI: Yes, of course. It is the general directorate that is charge of all energy
facilities.
But there are priorities, such as the refineries, the oil storage facilities, which
are more important than others to the people. In general, what we have been
providing for refineries, oil storage, and equipment to the oil sector – we will
provide this to all of the other sectors.
BVH: So there are many additional facilities you will now gain responsibility for.
HAI: Of course, more facilities. And it is not just a suggestion of what "will"
happen; beginning on Nov. 20, it already came under my responsibility, protecting
all of these pieces of infrastructure and institutions.
BVH: In the past, the Iraqi Army has had responsibility for some facilities. Are you
taking over those facilities from the army?
HAI: We started to receive the responsibilities of some army areas. In the western
areas, we have received the most dangerous areas in Anbar. We have started to
receive the pipelines protection. Those people who used to be security guards for
the pipelines, now we are moving them to be staff in the Oil Police.
BVH: So, you are adding staff.
HAI: Yesterday we added 3,700 new staff.
BVH: These are people who used to report to the Iraqi Army, and are now reporting to
the Energy Police?
HAI: No, they used to work as security guards on these oil facilities, under the
staff of the Oil Ministry. Now they belong to the Oil Police.
BVH: So, there must be additional funding coming in?
HAI: Indeed, we have a new budget for the Oil Police, and also the Oil Ministry sent
us funds that they used to receive, allocated for these activities.
BVH: What is the increase to your budget, and what is the new total?
HAI: All I can say is that we have an independent budget that comes to us. We have
our own budget, as Energy Police. I don't have a specific figure, because we always
keep flexibility to increase and decrease. We have enough for all of the staff and
to buy all of the additional things we need, from equipment for officers to
furniture for offices. We are always increasing.
BVH: So, just to clarify, the Energy Police is a directorate within the Interior
Ministry, but you have independent authority over your budget?
HAI: Yes, we are within the Interior Ministry. Our budget comes from the Interior
Ministry. And we have flexibility to increase it.
BVH: How many people are currently in the Energy Police, now that you have added 3,700?
HAI: I'm just talking about what we added to the Oil Police, those 3,700. We added
this number yesterday, the official letter was issued. But now we are trying to
employ more of those guards, who used to be security guards employed by the Oil
Ministry, to protect these oil facilities. As soon as they meet the specifications
of the Oil Police, then we can add them.
We can't give you the specific number now for different reasons. First, we are just
at the beginning of the formation. Second, some of these formations – parts of the
oil, the electricity, and other forces – they are under the provincial councils.
We need some time to figure out how much they will report to us.
BVH: So, some of these other forces that will join the Energy Police currently
belong to the provincial councils?
HAI: These are some complicated things with the Iraqi administrative system.
Everything should belong to the Energy Police, but some of them are still connected
to the local governments, to protect some areas and some facilities belonging to the
provincial governments.
Technically, they should belong to the Energy Police now. But these are still –
you know, we are exchanging letters, asking, "Do you need to separate them from us,
or do you want to move these forces over to us?" These are technical issues.
BVH: Where did this idea come from, to form the Energy Police? What is your goal for
the size of this force?
HAI: This suggestion to become Energy Police was my suggestion. Me personally, I
will be especially focused in two sectors. Because the energy sector, which is oil
and electricity, is very important for the people. It's very vital; it reaches the
lives of people. This will determine whether the government can be successful or
not.
Our goal will never end. We have expansion in the oil sector and the electricity
sector. We are expecting news power plants. We are expecting new refineries. We are
expecting new oil storage facilities and fuel storage for power plants. Our goal
will never end.
Only when we have stopped building plants and facilities, then (the Energy Police)
will say, "We have this, we are done." Until then, we will always have more to
protect, and have more expansion.
BVH: Is there a good way to quantify the current size of the organization, in terms
of staff or budget?
HAI: Only the Oil Police, it has 50 battalions.
BVH: How many in each battalion?
HAI: You are going a different way to get the number. You could say that these are
"systematic battalions," and each one is between 700 to 800. This is only the Oil
Police.
Only the pipelines in Iraq, we have more than 7,500 kilometers of pipeline alone.
BVH: Speaking of challenges, the energy sector sustained some attacks earlier this
year, most notably at the Beiji and Daura refineries, and near Rumaila oil field.
What have you done to respond to these threats?
HAI: After the incidents in Daura and other places, we are happy about the security
measures we have taken. There used to be many attacks, and now there is huge
improvement. Security is rising.
Big challenges have always been there, from al-Qaeda especially – and especially
against the oil sector. If you go out to Beiji, you will find that it's very
different. Cameras, walls, security systems – we have focused on two things: to
bring new technology to support the logistics, and getting the right equipment.
The feeling that we have from the prime minister during the national security
meetings, is that he himself is very focused on providing security and all of the
needs and equipment for the oil sector.
BVH: What steps have you taken to continue fighting oil smuggling?
HAI: We have reduced smuggling by more than 80 percent. This year, we have seized
more than 30 trucks used for smuggling. We have Oil Police centers in different
parts of the country. One thing that has helped us has been Law number 41 from 2008,
which designates smuggling as an offense akin to terrorism.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
