According to reports from Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is now in control of the Bayji oil refinery, the largest facility of its kind in Iraq. The Iraqi military has claimed it repelled the ISIS assault, which began late last night after a weeklong siege, but The New York Times cites eyewitness reports telling just the opposite:

Reports from Bayji sharply contradicted that assessment [the Iraq military’s claim that it repelled the assault]. A refinery worker who gave only his first name, Mohammad, reached by telephone, said that the refinery had been attacked at 4 a.m. and that workers had taken refuge in underground bunkers. In the course of the fighting, 17 gas storage tanks were set ablaze, although it was not clear by which side. After taking heavy losses, the troops guarding the facility surrendered and at least 70 were taken prisoner, he said.

Refinery workers were sent home unharmed by the extremists, Mohammad said.

A lieutenant from the battalion guarding Bayji, also reached by telephone and speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had fled his unit when it became clear that it would not be able to hold out against ISIS forces.