Sunni militants besieging a key Iraqi oil refinery are regrouping to resume their assault, the army officer in charge of its defence has said.
Colonel Ali al-Qureishi said the latest attempt by fighters came late last night, and the insurgents are gathering to launch a new attack.
The fight over the Beiji refinery, 155 miles north of Baghdad, began on Tuesday.
Its loss would be a devastating symbol of the Baghdad government’s powerlessness in the face of the offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).
The militants captured much of northern Iraq in a lightning offensive last week.