Iraqi forces have regained full control of the country's biggest oil refinery after heavy fighting with Sunni militants attempting to seize it, the authorities claim.
A refinery employee and witnesses said the insurgents had withdrawn from the sprawling Baiji complex after losing 100 fighters as troops and helicopter gunships repelled repeated attacks, according to the Iraqi military.
The retaking of the plant, north of Baghdad, comes amid calls for the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki to quit as a condition of US help in driving back insurgents who have seized large swathes of the country.
A member of the Iraqi security forces guards volunteer fighters in Baghdad Speaking on Sky News, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that the government in Baghdad risked splitting the country unless it reached out to all groups.
The administration of Mr al Malaki has requested that America launch airstrikes against the ISIS extremists, whose lightning offensive in the north of the country - including the capture of the city of Mosul - saw the US-bankrolled military crumble.
US President Barack Obama is to make a statement on the crisis at 5.30pm BST following meetings with his national security team in the White House Situation Room.
A map of Iraq's vital oil and gas network. Source: Platts The advance of the al Qaeda breakaway group has only been slowed by a regrouped army, Shia militias and volunteers, who have signed up to join the battle against the militants.
Officials say US action is not imminent, partly because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground.
But unnamed officials have said the President is set to announce the deployment of 100 special forces troops to help train and advise Iraqi forces.
A potential obstacle to US military involvement is Mr al Maliki, who has been blamed for alienating Iraq's Sunni minority, leading to sectarian rifts and contributing to the current crisis.
David Petraeus has warned over the risks of the US providing air support Several leading figures in Congress from across the political divide have spoken out against the premier.
Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: "The Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation."
Republican senator John McCain backed military support but urged Mr Obama to "make it make very clear to Maliki that his time is up".
The oil refinery at Baiji has been the scene of fierce fighting Mr Rasmussen warned on Sky News: "Unless the government reaches out to other groups in Iraqi society, there's a clear risk that the country will be split."
And General David Petraeus, who led the US troop surge ahead of America pulling out of Iraq, says there should not even be air support without major change in Baghdad.
The former CIA chief warned Washington risked becoming an "air force for Shiite militias", if it agreed to the request for support.
ISIS militants claim to have captured an airbase in Tal Afar However, President Barack Obama has indicated he does not need authorisation from Congress to take any steps over action in Iraq.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr al Maliki said the PM will not step down, insisting his administration was inclusive, with Sunni Muslims represented in key roles.
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