USA: Pentagon: Iraqi forces make progress retaking Baiji, refinery
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 9 June 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, USA: Pentagon: Iraqi forces make progress retaking Baiji, refinery, 9 June 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4f457.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 09, 2015
Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes have opened up supply lines into the town of Baiji and its nearby oil refinery, making inroads against the Islamic State militant group.
The town and refinery are located at a strategic crossroads north of Tikrit on the main Baghdad-Mosul highway.
The Pentagon on June 8 confirmed claims from the Iraqi Army over the weekend that security forces had entered the city center.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said he was not ready to declare the Baiji refinery, the country's biggest, or the town "liberated," but "progress is notable," he said.
"Friendly forces have begun moving into the town...and are methodically beginning to root out the enemy," he said.
At the refinery, Iraqi forces have broken through to troops who had been encircled by the militants and were able to deliver equipment and reinforcements.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
