Kirkuk- An explosion on Saturday damaged a pipeline used for shipping oil from a field near Kirkuk to the refinery at Beiji, officials said.

The blast occurred about 110 kilometers (66 miles) south of Kirkuk, according to an official in the Northern Oil Company who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Insurgents have frequently targeted pipelines in the area around the refinery, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, The Associated Press reported.