Iraqi forces recaptured strategic town of Baiji from ISIS

Baiji, Iraq: recaptured by Iraqi forces
Baiji in Iraq was in news because Iraqi authorities on 14 November 2014 claimed that Government forces have recaptured the strategic northern town of Baiji from Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants. The force has also lifted siege of the oil refinery.

The town was recaptured after more than two weeks of fighting that started on 31 October 2014.

It is the largest town to be recaptured by government forces since IS-led militants overran much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland in June 2014, and the victory is one of the most significant in the conflict so far.

Baiji located 130 miles north of Baghdad lies on the main highway to Iraq's second largest city, Mosul that is in control of ISIS militants since June 2014.

Baiji oil refinery, the country’s largest oil refinery, produces some 3 lakh barrels of refined petroleum products per day and is capable of meeting 50 percent needs of Iraq.

Recapture of town Baiji, which was out of government control for months, has further isolated militants in the city of Tikrit, the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.