ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi Shiite militias are claiming the group killed 1,000 ISIS militants in June, and recently repulsed 40 of the extremists at the Baiji oil refinery.
According to Brigadier General Ashem Al-Jabouri of Salahadin’s Hashd al-Shaabi in a press statement, “Security forces progress well in Baiji and the joint forces fought a fierce battle in the north and south areas of Baiji, causing the death of 40 ISIS elements in the Sada district near the Baiji refinery.”
Jabouri added that the Hashd al-Shaabi are also now placed in the presidential palace of Tikrit and will leave soon after a memorial for Iraqi security forces killed by ISIS at Camp Speicher.
Iraqi security forces were able to take control of Tikrit, a city located northwest of Baghdad, after it was seized by ISIS fighters, while Baiji north of Tikrit is still a center of fierce fighting.
Government claims of success in Baiji are frequent, and the exact situation on the ground is unclear, as ISIS offensives and seizures in the important refinery city are also frequently reported.
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