Militants regrouping in Iraq refinery attack: Army

An al-Qaida inspired militant stands with a captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint outside Beiji refinery, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 19, 2014. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said.(AP Photo)

The Army officer in charge of protecting a key Iraqi refinery besieged by Sunni militants says he fears insurgents are regrouping to resume their assault on the key facility.

The fight over the Beiji refinery, some 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, began on Tuesday.

Col. Ali al-Qureishi said the latest attempt by fighters came late on Thursday. Mr. Al-Qureishi told The Associated Press on Friday that he believed the militants were regrouping to launch a new attack.

There was no immediate way to independently verify Mr. al-Qureishi’s claims.

Its loss would be a devastating symbol of the Baghdad government’s powerlessness in the face of the offensive by Sunni militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The militants captured much of northern Iraq in a lightning offensive last week.