Iraq: Oil Minister Says Iraq Close to Securing Refinery From Militants

Apr 15, 2015 | Jim Snyder, Bloomberg
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Iraq’s oil minister said troops were closer to securing the country’s largest refinery after an attack by Islamic State militants last week.

“They are clearing their way in,” Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. “The fight is still there.”

Abdul-Mahdi declined to give a timetable for when the Baiji refinery would be secured by Iraqi forces. The facility, which is about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Baghdad, has been closed since June.

Abdul-Mahdi said Iraqis control the “major part of the refinery,” but storage tanks and other equipment probably have suffered severe damage by the Islamic State.