ISIL have reportedly set ablaze parts of Iraq’s biggest oil refinery Baiji, a number of news outlets have reported.
Black plumes of smoke could be seen coming from the plant on Monday, according to Al Jazeera, which also reported that the Iraqi army had advanced to within 2km of the facility.
The Baiji refinery is situated in Northern Iraq about 200km from the capital Baghdad and can process around 310,000 barrels of oil per day, which amounts to around 40% of Iraq’s total refining capacity.
ISIL captured the city of Baiji in June last year and the plant has been under frequent attacks since then resulting in halts in production.
US administration has criticised Iraqi forces for “not showing enough will” in the fight against ISIL during the fall of Ramadi.
