Libya/Islamic State: ISIS Seeking to Add Libyan Oil Fields to its Already-Vast Holdings

Oct 29, 2015 | Michael Friedson, The Media Line
View Original

The main Libyan oil fields are under attack by fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) which is apparently set on adding the valuable fields to the group’s already vast holdings. An ISIS attack on Libya’s Es Sider oil port failed, but sent word that it’s preparing to take over the installation. According to experts, ISIS will earn at least $2.9 billion in 2015 from gas and oil alone taken from fields it captured as it marched through Iraq and Syria en route to creating a caliphate. Its fortunes on the Libyan battlefields have been mixed, with some areas easier going as large rebel groups fight each other; while in some areas fighters with local roots are more difficult to displace, as was the situation at Es Sider. Until now, ISIS has destroyed oil fields in Libya while taking over fields in Iraq and Syria.