News / North Africa

Daesh militants attack key Libya oil facility

Monday, 04 January 2016 3:32 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 04 January 2016 3:39 PM ]

Takfiri Daesh militants parade through Sirte, Libya, February 18, 2015. ( AP)

Libya's army soldiers have pushed back Daesh Takfiri militants after the terrorists carried out attacks near a key oil facility in the country's north, an army official says.

A car bomb attack hit a military check point at the entrance of the town of al-Sidra on Monday and killed at least two soldiers, army colonel Bashir Boudhfira said.

"We were attacked by a convoy of a dozen vehicles belonging to Daesh," Boudhfira said, "They then launched an attack on the town of Ras Lanouf via the south but did not manage to enter" and were pushed back.

An oil official also said that a 420,000-barrel oil tank in Ras Lanouf caught fire during clashes between army troops and Daesh militants.

The Takfiri group also said on its Twitter account that its militants conducted an "attack on the Al-Sidra area followed by violent clashes” with army forces.

It added that the attack came after the militant group took control of Ben Jawad town, 150 km east of the city of Sirte that has been under Daesh control since June 2015.

Daesh has carried out several attacks over the past few weeks to move forward to Libya’s oil terminals such as al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf.

In December 2015, UN experts said in a report that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 Daesh militants in Libya. They also said Daesh poses “an evident short and long-term threat in Libya” since it regards the country as the “best” opportunity to expand its militancy.

Chaos has gripped Libya since 2011. The country has also recently become a hotbed for the activities of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists operating in Syria and Iraq.

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