Iraq’s largest oil refinery shut down after attack

BAGHDAD - Gunmen Saturday stormed into Iraq’s largest oil refinery in Salahudin province and killed two workers before carrying out bomb attacks at the facility, police said.

“Unidentified gunmen stormed the oil refinery and shot dead an engineer and a guard before planting bombs at several units in the refinery which they blew up causing a huge fire,” a police official told Xinhua requesting anonymity.

“The fire caused the work to completely stop at the refinery, located some 200 km north of Baghdad,” the official said.

Security forces and top officials of the province rushed to the scene, as teams of firefighters and many fire engines reached there to put out the blaze.

The refinery is run by the Iraqi North Refineries Company, which is affiliated to the oil ministry. The refinery has a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day.