Sunday, September 11, 2016

Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar attack ports in Libya

Forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar have launched attacks at ports in Libya's oil crescent and clashed with guards who control the terminals, according to a spokesman and witnesses.



Petrol Facilities Guard (PFG) spokesman Ali al-Hassi said on Sunday afternoon that Haftar's forces attacked at Zueitina, Ras Lanuf, and Es Sider ports in the east of Sirte, as well as the nearby town of Ajdabiya, and that clashes were ongoing.

A port engineer confirmed that Haftar's forces had entered the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider, Libya's largest, and said one of the storage tanks at Es Sider had been set alight in the clashes.

The PFG also said it would reopen the Zueitina Port, but Haftar's forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), mobilised in the area leading to fears of a struggle for control.

Meanwhile, the LANA news agency loyal to the internationally recognised parliament reported spokesman Colonel Ahmad Mesmari as saying on Sunday that Haftar's forces took control of both ports.

The ports have been closed since late 2014, but the PFG recently struck a deal with the UN-backed government in Tripoli to reopen them and attempt to resume exports.

Haftar and other power brokers in the east have opposed the UN-backed Tripoli-based government, preventing it from extending its authority to eastern Libya.

Ras Lanuf and Es Sider were badly damaged earlier this year in attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters based in Sirte...
 [aljazeera.com]
11/9/16
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