4 oil engineers kidnapped in southern Libya

By Waleed Abdullah  

TRIPOLI

Four oil engineers were abducted from an oilfield in southern Libya on Saturday, according to the country’s oil corporation.  

In a statement, the National Oil Corporation said the four engineers were kidnapped by gunmen from al-Sharara oilfield, but without specifying the nationality of the hostages.  

Two engineers, however, were later released, the corporation said.  

The corporation said oilfields in neighboring areas have been shut as a “precautionary measure”.  

A local security official earlier told Anadolu Agency that the three Libyans and a Romanian national had been abducted and taken to an undisclosed destination.  

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. 

The source said security forces have launched a manhunt for the kidnappers.  

On Friday, two Libyan engineers were abducted from the same oilfield before they were later released.  

Libya has been dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.  

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily-armed militia groups.