Iraq crisis: ISIS militants attack country`s biggest oil refinery

Zee Media Bureau/ Neha Attre

Baghdad: The ISIS militants on Wednesday launched an attack on the country`s main oil Baiji refinery in Salaheddin province and reportedly set some stored oil on fire. Clashes between the security forces and the militants took place soon after the attack. The militants attacked the refinery with mortars and machine guns, security sources told the BBC. The attack comes a day after the government shut down the refinery and evacuated the foreign staff. Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has fired several senior officials for failing to contain the advance of the ISIS militants even as the Sunni Islamist rebels seized key cities in Iraq. The Iraqi government dismissed four Army commanders who will be court martialled for failing to “perform their national duty,” the BBC reported. The Army officials include commander of Nineveneh province which was the first capture by the militants and another who deserted the battle. In the wake of the crisis in the country, Maliki held a meeting with the Sunni leaders on Tuesday evening and called for “national unity”. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) militants seized the cities of Mosul and Tikrit last week. They also captured strategic city of Baquba briefly before government troops regained control yesterday. Army forces have been deployed and air strikes were carried out in the area as it is situated barely 60 kilometers from Baghdad. The advance of the ISIS militants have sparked international concern with the US also deployed around 275 military personnel fearing safety of its staff at Baghdad embassy.