Baghdad, June 24 (RHC) – Iraqi army warplanes have pounded several areas in the strategic oil town of Baiji, killing over a dozen Islamist militants and injuring several others.

The causalities come after warplanes targeted militants’ hideouts in the town of Baiji and its surroundings on Tuesday.

Iraqi media reports say at least 17 others were severely injured in the raids.

Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say 19 people including civilians have been killed as a result of the ongoing violence in the same troubled region.

This comes as the army and thousands of volunteers are trying to repel the militants' renewed push to seize Iraq's largest oil refinery north of Baghdad.

The militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claim they have captured the refinery. However, the army says it is in full control of the site.

The strategically important refinery has been the scene of heavy fighting since militants launched a major offensive on June 9. It has filled some 50 percent of Iraq's demand for refined oil products.

As part of mop-up operations in the east and north, the Iraqi forces have also killed at least 80 militants in the north of Samarra in Salahuddin Province. The army says more than 20 vehicles were also destroyed in those operations.