Post by Admin on Jun 24, 2014 19:30:46 GMT
Iraqi officials insisted Tuesday they were holding on to a key oil refinery while making gains elsewhere against militant fighters.
The deputy prime minister for energy affairs, Hussain al-Shahristani, denied media reports that militants had taken the Baiji oil refinery, saying that security forces are still fighting militants at the site.
The state-run Iraqiya news agency also claimed that security forces still controlled the refinery.
Iraqi special forces killed the militant who led the attacks against the refinery, who goes by the name of Abu Qutada, Iraqiya said. Airstrikes also killed 19 militants, the news agency reported.
The reports run contrary to earlier statements to CNN by Iraqi security sources who said militant fighters believed to be from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, had seized the refinery.
The Baiji refinery, in northern Salaheddin province, is a crucial resource because it refines much of the fuel needed for domestic consumption. Long lines have already formed at many gas stations across the country.
U.S. officials say they think ISIS now has as many as 10,000 fighters in Iraq, including fighters who have crossed over from Syria, those who have broken out of prisons, and loyalists who have joined the fight as the group has advanced, several U.S. officials have told CNN in recent days.
The group is functioning as an "increasingly capable military force," one official said. But questions remain about whether the group may become stretched too thin as it tries to hold on to its growing territory.
The deputy prime minister for energy affairs, Hussain al-Shahristani, denied media reports that militants had taken the Baiji oil refinery, saying that security forces are still fighting militants at the site.
The state-run Iraqiya news agency also claimed that security forces still controlled the refinery.
Iraqi special forces killed the militant who led the attacks against the refinery, who goes by the name of Abu Qutada, Iraqiya said. Airstrikes also killed 19 militants, the news agency reported.
The reports run contrary to earlier statements to CNN by Iraqi security sources who said militant fighters believed to be from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, had seized the refinery.
The Baiji refinery, in northern Salaheddin province, is a crucial resource because it refines much of the fuel needed for domestic consumption. Long lines have already formed at many gas stations across the country.
U.S. officials say they think ISIS now has as many as 10,000 fighters in Iraq, including fighters who have crossed over from Syria, those who have broken out of prisons, and loyalists who have joined the fight as the group has advanced, several U.S. officials have told CNN in recent days.
The group is functioning as an "increasingly capable military force," one official said. But questions remain about whether the group may become stretched too thin as it tries to hold on to its growing territory.