1. The US secured oil fields because when Saddam went into Kuwait in 1991-92 he set them on fire. Since Iraq is sitting on one of the, if not the largest reserve in the world do you think it not wise to keep him from destroying the worlds oil supply. Or do you not need oil where you live?
Although willing to be corrected by one of our resident geologists I don't think that setting fire to oil wells is going to destroy the oil that remains underground. I've heard of underground coal mines burning for years on end, but never oil fields - I suspect because of the shortage of sufficient available oxygen in oil deposits.
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