By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson
New Day Rising? On April 19, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that Iraqi forces “regained full control” over the Baiji oil refinery after having cleared the massive facility of Islamic State fighters. The facility has been a flashpoint for months, with Iraqi forces inside slugging it out with waves of Islamic State fighters — backed by car bombs and artillery fire — coming after the beating heart of the Iraqi oil industry and therefore, its entire economy.
Over the past nine days, coalition aircraft have pounded Islamic State position with 47 airstrikes in and around …read more
Source: Foreign Policy
