All Key Oil Wells in Southern Iraq Safe: British Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 22, 2003

All Key Oil Wells in Southern Iraq Safe: British Official

All key components of oil fields in a southern Iraqi port remain safe, with only seven oil wells being set on fire, Admiral Michael Boyce, British chief of defense staff told reporters Friday.

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All key components of oil fields in a southern Iraqi port remain safe, with only seven oil wells being set on fire, Admiral Michael Boyce, British chief of defense staff told reporters Friday.

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon earlier said that about 30oil wells at Umm Qasr, a city not far from Basra, have been set onfire by Iraqi forces.

"I'm pleased to be able to tell you that the latest informationI have is that only seven well heads have been fired, as opposed to the some 30 or so that we suspected might have been on fire today," Boyce told a press briefing at the Ministry of Defense in London.

"We are absolutely determined not to let (Iraqi President) Saddam (Hussein) to bring more damage to the lives of his people through some sort of scorched-earth policy," Boyce said, adding that "specialist civilian contractors" would be in the area "in a day or two" to snuff out the fires.

Umm Qasr has been overwhelmed by US Marines and now "is in coalition hands," Boyce said, adding that two Iraqi vessels loadedwith mines for deployment in the Gulf have been captured by alliedforces.

Progress made in the campaign so far was "promising" and humanitarian supplies were expected to be brought into Iraq withinthe next few days, Boyce said.

He also praised the British and American advance into southern Iraq, under air cover provided by the RAF and US air force.

On Friday, local reports said the US and British forces were expected to take Basra, Iraq's southern stronghold, later in the day.

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