ISIL shells and captures 75% of Baiji Refinery in Salah il-Din, Iraq’s biggest oil refinery

UPDATE 19:48 AST – Iraq Army repels ISIL from Baiji Refinery

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Salah il-Din (IraqiNews.com) Fighters of ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, shelled Baiji Refinery in Salah il-Din and seized control of 75% of the refinery, the largest in Iraq.

Source in Salah il-Din stated to Iraqi News (IraqiNews.com) “ISIL elements clashed with the security forces in Baiji Refinery and then shelled and seized 75% it to result in burning the fuel tanks.”

“The Air Force bombed the source of ISIL fire,” the source concluded.

The refinery, located in the northern city of Baiji, is the biggest producer of refined fuel for Iraq’s domestic markets. The attack does not affect production or exports Iraq’s main oil fields and facilities in the south. The attack, however, underlined concerns over the situation in the country.

Citing an official at the refinery, Sunni militants have 75% of the refinery under their control in an attack that came overnight. A British security company helped get Western workers out of the refinery just ahead of it. Meanwhile, ISIL has made big advances toward Baquba, which is less than 40 miles north of Baghdad.