Iraq announces reopening of a key oil refinery a decade after it was stormed by the Islamic State

By ABDULRAHMAN ZEYAD

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister has announced the reopening of the Beiji refinery, the country’s largest, which had been shut down for a decade after being damaged in the battle against the Islamic State extremist group. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that the refinery’s return to operation will enable Iraq to meet its oil derivative needs internally, saving billions of dollars annually, which he said “will be invested in other services and aspects of the economy.” The oil refinery 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, has not operated since the IS seized the town as part of its blitz across much of Iraq in the summer of 2014.