The Islamic State (IS) jihadi group launched attacks near key oil facilities in northern Libya on Monday but were pushed back, an army official said.
The jihadis first carried out a suicide car bomb attack on a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Al-Sidra, killing two soldiers, said a colonel in the army loyal to the internationally recognised government. "We were attacked by a convoy of a dozen vehicles belonging to IS," Bashir Boudhfira said.
"They then launched an attack on the town of Ras Lanouf via the south but did not manage to enter."
IS has for several weeks been trying to push east from the coastal city of Sirte under its control to reach Libya's "oil crescent" where key oil terminals such as Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf are based.
A Libyan oil official said that a 420,000-barrel oil tank in Ras Lanouf caught fire during the clashes. IS on Twitter announced that its fighters had led an "attack on the Al-Sidra area followed by violent clashes with the enemies of God." IS has taken advantage of chaos in Libya since the 2011revolt that ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi to extend its influence there.
Libya, which sits on reserves estimated at 48 billion barrels of oil, had a pre-revolt output capacity of about 1.6 million barrels per day, accounting for over 95% of exports and 75% of the budget. But unrest has forced a major slump in production. AFP
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The jihadis first carried out a suicide car bomb attack on a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Al-Sidra, killing two soldiers, said a colonel in the army loyal to the internationally recognised government. "We were attacked by a convoy of a dozen vehicles belonging to IS," Bashir Boudhfira said.
"They then launched an attack on the town of Ras Lanouf via the south but did not manage to enter."
IS has for several weeks been trying to push east from the coastal city of Sirte under its control to reach Libya's "oil crescent" where key oil terminals such as Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf are based.
A Libyan oil official said that a 420,000-barrel oil tank in Ras Lanouf caught fire during the clashes. IS on Twitter announced that its fighters had led an "attack on the Al-Sidra area followed by violent clashes with the enemies of God." IS has taken advantage of chaos in Libya since the 2011revolt that ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi to extend its influence there.
Libya, which sits on reserves estimated at 48 billion barrels of oil, had a pre-revolt output capacity of about 1.6 million barrels per day, accounting for over 95% of exports and 75% of the budget. But unrest has forced a major slump in production. AFP
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