Libya says attacks on 2 key oil terminals repelled

Attackers briefly seized the Ras Lanuf and al-Sidra terminals before they were driven away by aircraft-backed troops

An offshore oil platform at the Bouri Oil Field off the coast of Libya
An offshore oil platform at the Bouri Oil Field off the coast of Libya
AP I PTI Benghazi
Last Updated : Sep 19 2016 | 8:24 AM IST
Libyan officials say troops loyal to the internationally recognised parliament have repelled an attack on two key oil terminals.

They said today's attackers briefly seized the Ras Lanuf and al-Sidra terminals before they were driven away by aircraft-backed troops loyal to Khalifa Hifter, a powerful general promoted by the parliament to field-marshal last week.

Brig Gen Ali Omar said the attackers were linked to Ibrahim Jedran, leader of the militia that had controlled the terminals before Hifter's forces took them last week.

Omar says many of the attackers were killed and that four troops were killed and six injured while defending the facilities.

Libya drifted into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and today is split between rival parliaments and governments.

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First Published: Sep 19 2016 | 8:15 AM IST

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