# Bombing ISL oil facilites **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 18, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907 "2015-11-18T18:47:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907/1 "2015-11-18T18:47:33Z")
Some news show I was watching the other night was talking about how the U.S. is targeting oil production/transportation facilities controlled by ISL in order to cut down on revenue. The story went on to say that the missions had been largely ineffective with repairs being made in a day or so. Now they are bombing with the intention of knocking them off line for a month or more. My question is this - how was it possible to repair these things in a day? What were they dropping, firecrackers? It took me more than a day to get my car fixed and it didn’t have a 250 lb. bomb dropped on it. Something just doesn’t sound right about this. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907/2 "2015-11-18T18:52:33Z")
A well is just a hole in the ground with apparatus on the surface to pump out the oil. I imagine the repairs were made by clearing away the bombed surface apparatus and replacing it with parts, or whole new rigs, from other nearby wells. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907/3 "2015-11-18T20:25:30Z")
I’d think if they were destroying pumpjacks or drilling rigs, that might explain it. I don’t think you can put a bombed refinery back in commision in a day or two. If so, we’re doing it wrong, and need to take a page from the 8th Air Force, and line up the B-52s in formation and bomb the bejeezus out of the entire area at once. I’d think for wellheads, some kind of penetrating bomb would be most effective- something that would penetrate deep and then explode, requiring the whole shebang to be dug up and repaired. Assuming our bombs are accurate enough to target an individual wellhead close enough for a conventional warhead to do any damage, that is. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907/4 "2015-11-18T20:41:38Z")
As noted in this [Wall Street Journal article](http://www.wsj.com/articles/french-airstrikes-in-syria-may-have-missed-islamic-state-1447685772), > [@](#): > > In a media briefing last week, Col. Warren showed videos of attacks on various oil fields, including videos of strikes against oil and gas separation plants and on the Tanak oil field in Deir Ezzour province. > > The U.S. military’s approach is to disable oil production without destroying the capability altogether, recognizing the value of the oil industry’s infrastructure down the road. > > “Our intent is to shut those oil facilities down completely,” Col. Warren said then, noting that the U.S. military recognizes the value of the oil industry’s infrastructure down the road. > > “We have to be cognizant that there will be a time after the war—the war will end. We don’t want to completely and utterly destroy these facilities to where they’re irreparable.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombing-isl-oil-facilites/737907/5 "2015-11-18T20:42:52Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > As noted in this [Wall Street Journal article](http://www.wsj.com/articles/french-airstrikes-in-syria-may-have-missed-islamic-state-1447685772), That’s not a very “Team America” approach!! 🙂