BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops recaptured key parts of the northern refinery town of Beiji from the Daesh militants on Sunday, a general said. The commander of the Interior Ministry's Quick Reaction Forces, Brig. Gen. Nassir Al-Fartousi, told state TV that the Iraqi flag was raised on a local government building in Beiji and that troops were advancing to other areas, without elaborating. There was no word on the fate of the contested refinery on the town's outskirts. Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, fell to the extremist Daesh group during its blitz across northern Iraq nearly a year ago, but parts of the town and nearby refinery have since been retaken by government forces. The town is strategically significant as it lies on the road to Daesh-held Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. — AP
