--- description: Iraqi soldiers and Shia militia join to surround the ISIS-held city title: ISIS Militants Set Fire to Oil Fields Near Tikrit image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb902e23f6e6e830d/6987823e428a9e2cd5cc7755/iraq-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iraq](/tag/iraq/) ## Iraq Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # ISIS Set Fire to Oil Fields Near Tikrit  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Mar 5, 2015 2:03 PM CUT  Shi'ite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with ISIS militants in Salahuddin province, March 1, 2015. Shi'ite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with ISIS militants in Salahuddin province, March 1, 2015.Ahmed Al-Hussaini—Reuters  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Mar 5, 2015 2:03 PM CUT Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) set fire to the Ajil oil wells in east of the city of Tikrit in hopes of stopping aerial attacks that would drive them out of the oilfield, witnesses [tell](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-torches-oil-field-east-tikrit-witness-101320527.html#270cfU6 "undefined") Reuters. The oil field used to produce about 25,000 barrels per day of crude oil before ISIS took it over in June. Shi’ite militia and Iraqi soldiers began moving through Ajil Monday in an assault on ISIS-held Tikrit. Security sources [told BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31727470 "undefined") that the forces surrounding the city from the east, south and north have captured villages and oil fields east of the city, but that ISIS was fighting back with suicide bombers and snipers. \[[_Reuters_](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-torches-oil-field-east-tikrit-witness-101320527.html#270cfU6 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/"},"headline":"ISIS Set Fire to Oil Fields Near Tikrit","datePublished":"2015-03-05T14:03:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:56:08.725Z","description":"Iraqi soldiers and Shia militia have surrounded the ISIS-held city","url":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/","keywords":["Iraq"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb902e23f6e6e830d/6987823e428a9e2cd5cc7755/iraq-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb902e23f6e6e830d/6987823e428a9e2cd5cc7755/iraq-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Shi'ite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with Islamic State militants in Salahuddin province","caption":"Shi'ite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with Islamic State militants in Salahuddin province, March 1, 2015.","creditText":"Ahmed Al-Hussaini—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iraq/","name":"Iraq"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/","name":"ISIS Set Fire to Oil Fields Near Tikrit"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Families ISIS Fighters Leave Behind","description":"How the rivalry between ISIS & Al-Nusra is tearing families apart","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/3wE4zvGL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-26T00:36:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3wE4zvGL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/","duration":"PT5M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3733222/isis-oil-fields-tikrit/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```