Dozens of filling stations shut in Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces on Thursday, as motorists lined up for gasoline at remaining pumps. Long queues disrupted traffic across parts of the capital, while diesel shortages also affected heavy vehicles.
Authorities had not issued an official explanation for the closures by Thursday. Drivers told Shafaq News, a regional news outlet, that fuel disruptions had become a recurring problem and called on authorities to explain the latest shortage.
Baghdad has faced repeated fuel disruptions throughout this year despite government assurances that supplies were sufficient. Similar shortages in Nineveh province prompted Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil to give petroleum officials until Sept. 1 last week to resolve persistent fuel queues.
