Iraq: 10 killed in clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants in refinery near Baiji
The commander of a federal police force tasked with protecting Iraq’s largest oil refinery was killed on Tuesday in fierce battles with the Islamic State (IS) militants who managed to seize part of the refinery, provincial security sources said.
The IS militants carried out an attack on the refinery near the town of Baiji in Salahudin province at dawn and made some progress inside the huge oil facility after heavy clashes with the security forces, killing Maj. Gen. Dhaif Khalaf and nine of his bodyguards, a source told Xinhua news agency.
The extremist militants set fire to some installations of the refinery, sending columns of black smoke above the area, and apparently prevented air support to the troops, the source said.
Despite their partial advance inside the refinery, the IS militants failed to take control of large parts of the oil facility due to the fierce resistance by the security forces, the source added.
Abdul-Wahab al-Saedi, commander of Salahudin operations, told Iraqi media that reinforcement forces arrived to Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, and are moving in three directions toward the refinery in order to support the troops who are fighting inside the refinery.