Iraqi security forces foiled an attempt on Saturday to fire Katyusha rockets at an oil refinery in southern Iraq, killing one attacker, the Oil Ministry said. Members of the ministry's protection unit also arrested two men among the group that had mounted rockets on a truck and approached the refinery near the city of Basra, ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said. The refinery was attacked several times last year, badly injuring several guards. Attacks against Iraq's oil facilities have increased since U.S.-led forces assaulted the city of Falluja, near Baghdad, in November. Most of the attacks have focussed on pipelines and infrastructure in the north and centre of the country, not in the south. Sabotage has disrupted refinery operations and contributed to a fuel crisis in Iraq, which has the world's second-largest oil reserves. Oil exports from the north also have been interrupted, with no crude flowing to Turkey for two weeks. --More 2054 Local Time 1754 GMT
