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By Libya herald staff;
Tripoli, 3 March 2015:
Unconfirmed reports say that IS forces have seized the Dahra oilfield in the Sirte Basin . . .[restrict]from Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) after fierce fighting. There are also reports that the neighbouring Bahi field may also have fallen to IS.
The two fields, operated by Waha Oil, a Libyan-US consortium, were attacked yesterday by IS forces according to Ali Al-Hassi, spokesman for the central region’s Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG). The nearby Mabruk oilfield, a joint venture between the National Oil Corporation, Total and Norway’s Statoil, was also reported attacked.
Fighting continued today and latest reports, also unconfirmed, allege that IS was reinforced during the day by supplies of heavy weaponry and fighters from Zliten. A convoy of some 40 vehicles is said to have left the town for the oilfield during the night.
The three fields are those closest to Sirte and to Nawfaliya, now home to a significant number of IS forces.
It is not thought likely that IS will try to retain control of Dahra. Shortly before yesterday’s attacks on the oilfields, PFG spokesman Hassi predicted that assaults on oilfields and oil terminals were imminent. He also said the IS aim was purely to destroy facilities so as to deny the authorities any oil income.
The allegation that Zliten fighters have joined forces with IS suggests a worrying, further radicalisation of forces hitherto seen as supporting Libya Dawn.
Yesterday’s aerial bombardment of Sidra and Ras Lanuf which appears to have been coordinated with the oilfield attacks has been blamed on Misrata, although it is just as likely that the aircraft involved flew from Sirte’s Ghardabiya airbase. It too suggests a realignment by some elements in Misrata towards IS.
According to a former senior commander of one of the main Islamist militias in Benghazi, the Misrata’s Brigade 166 and other forces who were dispatched to Sirte to take it back from IS negotiated with the Islamists, the result of which was that a number left the town. It is not know if these are the group which attacked the oilfields. Brigade 166 was reported to have subsequently headed to Ben Jawad, Operation Sunrise’s base for the assault on Sidra. [/restrict]
