Iraq’s oil minister says Iraqi forces inching closer to liberate Baiji refinery

Oil minister of Iraq stated that troops were closer to securing the country’s largest refinery after an attack by Islamic State militants last week.
Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said that the fighting is still going on. He denied mentioning any time frame for when the Baiji refinery would be secured by Iraqi forces. The facility, which is about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Baghdad, has been closed since June.
Abdul-Mahdi said Iraqis control the “major part of the refinery,” but storage tanks and other equipment probably have suffered severe damage by the Islamic State. Abdul-Mahdi also said Iraq’s oil production could increase to 6 million or 7 million barrels a day by 2020, from around 4 million barrels now.
He mentioned that crude export of Iraq may rise to 3.1 million barrels a day in April, from 2.98 million barrels last month.