Extremists now control Iraq’s biggest oil refinery

The ISIL extremists, that have been violently taking control over vast regions in northern Iraq, have now captured the country’s largest oil refinery, located in Baji.

An official inside the complex reported that the militants were in control of over 75% of the facility, consisting of the ‘production units, administration building and four watch towers.’

The heaviest fights were held this morning, militants attacking the site with mortars and machine guns. The foreign personnel had already fled the facility but local people are said to have stayed in order to aid military forces protect the refinery.

Currently there thousands of volunteers helping the government forces fight back the Sunni insurgents, some 60 miles off the capital city of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who was accused earlier of poor crisis management, has fired four army generals who handled operations in the northern part of the country. One of them was accused of ‘fleeing the battle scene’ when the city of Mosul was under siege, last week.