East Libya forces pound rival militia for oil ports

By Jihan Nasr

TRIPOLI

Warplanes aligned with East Libya-based government pounded positions of a rival militia in central Libya amid battles to retake oil terminals, according to a military official.

“Warplanes struck Jufra airbase where the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB) is holed up,” the source told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Eyewitnesses said the sounds of airstrikes were heard around the airbase since early morning.

Wednesday’s airstrikes came after East Libya-based forces, led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, retook Ras Lanuf and Sidra, two strategic oil ports, from BDB forces.

Libya’s strategic “oil crescent” stretches from the eastern city of Ras Lanuf to the north-central city of Sirte and down to the southern Jufra region.

Earlier this month, BDB fighters captured Sidra and Ras Lanuf, both of which are located in the oil crescent, along with additional territories.

The BDB was drawn up last summer with the aim of supporting the Shura Council of Benghazi -- comprised of revolutionaries who fought the Gaddafi regime in 2011 -- against forces loyal to Haftar.

Despite the pro-Haftar forces’ Tuesday assertions, the pro-BDB Bushra news agency said via Facebook that the BDB remained in control of the oil crescent, dismissing claims it had lost Ras Lanuf to pro-Haftar forces.

Last September, Haftar’s forces captured eastern Libya’s Sidra, Ras Lanuf, Brega and Zueitina oil ports.

The energy terminals at Sidra and Ras Lanuf are two of Libya's largest, with a combined production capacity of some 600,000 barrels of oil per day.

Libya has been wracked by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi after 42 years in power.