Militants and Army fighting 60 kilometers away from Baghdad

Iraqi Army soldiers and jihadist militants clashed in Baquba, 60km northeast of Baghdad. At least 44 prisoners died in an insurgent attack led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against a police station in Baquba, according to medical and security sources. A spokesman for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said that the prisoners were killed by extremists, while others indicate that officials were killed by security forces while trying to escape.

The Head of Operations of the province of Diyala has been reported that the Iraqi Army was able to stop insurgent offensive in several neighborhoods of Baquba, according to state television Al Iraqiya. In clashes with soldiers killing nine militants and two policemen, while six other soldiers were injured, according to a statement.

Another consequence of the jihadist offensive was closure of the ountry’s oil refinery, Baiji. Foreign personnel have been evacuated due to the escalating violence, as reported by the company responsible, which added that the Iraqi Army continues to control the facilities and local staff stays there.

ISIL militants took Mosul, Iraq ‘s second city, last week and other Sunni armed groups moved to the town of Baiji, where the eponymous refinery is located. ” Due to recent mortar attacks, officials of the refinery have decided to evacuate foreign workers to safeguard their safety and also completely stop the production units to avoid possible damage,” said a senior engineer of the refinery who did not wanted to reveal his name.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Jun 18 2014. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.