Iraq troops 'push Islamic State from oil town of Baiji'
Gen Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi told Iraqi state TV that the town "had been completely liberated". There are still reports of heavy fighting around the oil refinery, which is Iraq's largest. IS seized Baiji in June during a lightning advance through northern Iraq and laid siege to the refinery. The group, which also controls large parts of northern Syria, has been the target of a US-led military campaign since August, BBC informs.
Loudspeakers Iraqi troops took control of large parts of Baiji on Sunday, but stopped short of advancing on the refinery, the road to which is believed to be heavily booby-trapped. Iraqi war planes targeted fleeing IS fighters near the refinery on Friday, an Iraqi army captain told Reuters news agency.
Other reports suggested Iraqi troops had now broken through to the besieged oil facility, which lies around 10km (6 miles) from the town centre. Officials told AP that the Iraqi army used loudspeakers to warn residents to stay indoors during the operation.
Around 200,000 people live in the town, and the refinery accounts for around a quarter of Iraq's oil production. The town lies on the main road to Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, which is under the control of IS. Iraqi troops could now use Baiji as a base for trying to take back the IS-controlled Tikrit to the south.
