Iraqi forces and militia fighters have rolled back the Islamic State group in the northern town of Baiji and at a nearby oil refinery but it is too soon to declare victory in either battle, the Pentagon said. The US military’s account of fighting around Baiji confirmed claims on Sunday from the Iraqi army that security forces had advanced against the IS jihadists and entered the city center.
“We are prepared to say that friendly forces have begun moving in to the town of Baiji and are methodically beginning to root out the enemy who has entrenched themselves in that town,” Pentagon spokesman
Colonel Steven Warren told reporters. But it was too early to say the town was “liberated,” Warren said. There were also signs of hard-won progress at the oil refinery just outside the town, the largest in the country. Iraqi troops had become encircled by jehadists and have been forced to rely on supplies being delivered by aircraft.