IS kills at least five near Iraq’s biggest oil refinery: Security

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Fighters from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group killed at least five people in an attack near Iraq’s biggest oil refinery outside the town of Baiji, a local security source told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday.

The militants launched an attack in the village of al-Bujwari, near the Baiji oil refinery, which Iraqi forces liberated from IS in 2015. Baiji, located 230 kilometers north of Baghdad, is Iraq's leading refinery, producing roughly one-third of the nation's total output.

Some young men took up arms to repel the attack on their village, but five of them were killed and one more injured, the source said. Among the dead were four brothers from two families.

The militants used light and medium weapons in their attack before fleeing to an unknown location, according to the source, who asked not be identified.

Last month, IS fighters attacked Shia militiamen of the Hashd al-Shaabi near Baiji, killing three members and wounding five more.

Despite Iraq declaring ‘final victory’ over IS in December of last year, the group continues to launch insurgency-style attacks, kidnappings, and ambushes in several areas, including the disputed provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin, where Baiji is located. 

Also in July, a former Iraqi interior minister claimed there were 75 villages in three provinces under the control of IS.

Editing by John J. Catherine