Salahuddin operation by Iraqi army and volunteer militia fighters begun on Wednesday October 14, first by retaking the country's oil refinery town of Baiji and the surrounding area.
The leader of the influential the Shiite militia Badr Brigade, Hadi al-Amiri, told Reuters that government forces and militias were in full control of the town of Siniya and were about to recapture the entire town of Baiji and the nearby Makhoul Mountain area.
"We expected the battle to be a long and tough one and we did not expect it to reach Makhoul, which on its own needs a large-scale assault to clear. We started the offensive yesterday and today, God willing, we achieved very good progress in Makhoul, Baiji and Al-Siuniya. We will definitely retake full control of Siniya today and we will regain full control of Baiji tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," said Amiri, who is also a leading Shiite politician.
ISIS insurgents suffered a major defeat in April when Iraqi troops and Shiite paramilitaries routed them from the city of Tikrit.
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