Workers evacuated from Libyan oil fields over militant threat

Published April 10th, 2016 - 03:45 GMT
A member of the Libyan army stands on a tank as heavy black smoke rises from the city's port during clashes in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on December 23, 2014. (AFP Photo/Abdullah Doma)
A member of the Libyan army stands on a tank as heavy black smoke rises from the city's port during clashes in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on December 23, 2014. (AFP Photo/Abdullah Doma)

Workers have been evacuated from three oil fields in eastern Libya over threats of militant attacks by Daesh, security officials told Reuters on Sunday.

Libya's oil fields have been frequent targets of attacks by Daesh in recent months. The attacks have caused damage to infrastructure and deaths, but Daesh has not yet taken control over oil fields in Libya as they have in Syria and Iraq.

Mohamed al-Manfi, an oil official, told Reuters the Wafa oil field had been completely evacuated, while the Tibesti and Bayda fields were partially evacuated.

A security source also told Reuters that Daesh fighters had been gathering strength in the town of Nawfiliyah, between the group's stronghold of Sirte and the oil port of Ras Lanuf.

The latest threat comes amid rising hopes that Libya's unity government, which arrived in Tripoli last week, could at last bring stability to the country, which has been wracked by chaos since 2011.

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