Libya: Libyan Militias Set Fire to Storage Tanks in Renewed Push for Oil, Foreign Minister Says
Dec 28, 2014
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New York Times
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Libya’s foreign minister said Sunday that militant groups were making a renewed push to seize oil resources, after an assault on eastern terminals set storage tanks ablaze, sending huge clouds of black smoke into the sky.
Foreign Minister Mohamed Dayri of Libya’s internationally recognized government, speaking in Cairo, said the assault had been carried out by militias based in the western city of Misurata and loyal to a rival Islamist-backed government in Tripoli. Mr. Dayri said the attacks had forced a shutdown of the country’s largest shipping terminal.Since the overthrow of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi three years ago, Libya has become divided by opposing factions. Rival governments and armed groups claim support from separate parts of the country.