BENGHAZI, Libya, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar took control of key oil ports in Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Brega on Sunday, said Ahmed al-Masmari, a spokesman for the forces.

But an official from the force that previously controlled the ports, the Petrol Facilities Guard, said there was still fighting at Ras Lanuf.

Masmari said clashes were continuing at another oil port, Zueitina, and around the nearby town of Ajdabiya. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Patrick Markey) </s> BENGHAZI, Libya: The forces of eastern Libya’s military strongman Khalifa Haftar have lost control of a key oil export terminal they had seized last year, a spokesman conceded on Saturday.



Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari said that the rival forces had overrun the main airfield in the oil port of Ras Lanuf and identified them as militias of the Benghazi Defence Brigades.

An array of forces, most of them loyal to the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been involved in efforts to oust Haftar from the oil ports, whose seizure enabled him to pose a major challenge to its authority.

But the Tripoli government on Friday evening denied any involvement in the renewed offensive on the oil ports, condemning it as a “military escalation”.

The forces involved in the latest assault are a mixture of militias, eastern tribes opposed to Haftar and members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard which controlled the ports before Haftar’s takeover. </s> The United States and five European powers called on Monday on forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to withdraw from several key oil ports seized from a rival force over the weekend.

"We call for all military forces that have moved into the oil crescent to withdraw immediately, without preconditions," said the statement from the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain.

Forces loyal to Haftar took control of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider, Zueitina and Brega ports, displacing a force that is allied to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. </s> A spokesman for forces led by a controversial Libyan general on Sunday that they had seized two key oil export terminals in the country's east.

General Khalifa Haftar's forces took control of the Al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf ports, the LANA news agency loyal to Libya's internationally recognised parliament reported Colonel Ahmad Mesmari as saying.

Haftar, one of the most powerful military figures in Libya, has refused to endorse a UN-backed national unity government and remains loyal to the rival administration based in the east of the country.

Haftar's forces took the Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra terminals, together capable of handling 700,000 barrels of oil per day, from installation guards loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNA).

"Clashes are now ongoing near the Zuwaytina port" further east, Mesmari said.

The oil-rich area around Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra is seen as a vital source of income for the GNA and key to the economy of the North African country.

In late July, the oil installation guards announced the reopening of Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra ports after an agreement with the GNA to resume oil exports.

The ports had been closed for months following attacks by the jihadist Islamic State group in January.

IS has taken advantage of the turmoil in Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival authorities and militias vying for control of the country.

A UN-brokered deal in December led to the GNA starting to work in Tripoli, but it has since struggled to assert its authority over the country. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar launched attacks at ports in Libya's oil crescent on Sunday and clashed with guards who control the terminals, a guards spokesman and a resident said.

Petrol Facilities Guard spokesman Ali al-Hassi said Haftar's forces had attacked at Zueitina, Ras Lanuf, and Es Sider ports, as well as the nearby town of Ajdabiya, and clashes were continuing. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Andrew Heavens) </s> Forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar launched attacks at ports in Libya’s oil crescent on Sunday and clashed with guards who control the terminals, a guards spokesman and a resident said.

Petrol Facilities Guard (PFG) spokesman Ali al-Hassi said Haftar’s forces had attacked at Zueitina, Ras Lanuf, and Es Sider ports, as well as the nearby town of Ajdabiya, and clashes were continuing.

A port engineer confirmed that Haftar’s forces had entered the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and El Sider, Libya’s largest, and said one of the storage tanks at Es Sider had been set alight in the clashes.

Both ports have been closed since late 2014 but the Petrol Facilities Guard recently struck a deal with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli to reopen them and attempt to resume exports.

The PFG also said it would reopen Zueitina, but Haftar’s forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), mobilised in the area leading to fears of a struggle for control.

Haftar and other power brokers in the east have opposed the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), preventing it from extending its authority to eastern Libya. The GNA entered Tripoli in March.

No one from the LNA could immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.

Ras Lanuf and Es Sider were badly damaged earlier this year in attacks by Islamic State militants based in Sirte, where they are currently on the verge of defeat by forces aligned with the GNA backed by U.S. air strikes.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation has been removing oil stored at Zueitina because of fears it could be lost during clashes. </s> Forces loyal to rival Libyan army commander Khalifa Hifter said Saturday they seized control of the main airport in Libya's capital Tripoli, two days after Hifter ordered his forces to seize the seat of Libya's U.N.-backed government.

Hifter's media office said in a post online that they took full control of the Tripoli international airport and were working to secure the facility. They posted photos of troops apparently inside the airport, saying "we are standing at the heart of the Tripoli international airport."

Hifter's offensive on Tripoli could plunge the oil-rich country into another spasm of violence, possibly the worst since the 2011 civil war that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country is governed by rival authorities: The internationally backed government in Tripoli and the government in the east, which Hifter is aligned with. Each is backed by an array of militias.

Fayez Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, said his government had offered concessions to Hifter "to avoid bloodshed and to end divisions" and was surprised by Hifter's order to take the capital.

"We were stabbed in the back," he said Saturday in televised comments, adding that his forces would confront Hifter's troops with "force and determination."

The Tripoli airport has not been functional since fighting in 2014 destroyed much of the facility.

The media office said that troops also captured the area of Wadi el-Rabeia, south of Tripoli, amid clashed with militias loyal to Sarraj.

Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for the self-styled Libyan National Army led by Hifter, said 14 troops had been killed since Hifter declared the offensive. He said rival militias launched four airstrikes Saturday targeting Hifter's position in the town of al-Aziziya, but that no casualties had been reported.

Hifter announced Thursday he was deploying his forces toward Tripoli, sparking fears that the tensions could be escalating out of control as militias from the western cities of Zawiya and Misarata said that they have mobilized to confront Hifter.

He also put at risk upcoming peace talks between Libyan rivals brokered by the U.N. aimed at drawing a roadmap for new elections.

The U.N. Security Council on Saturday called on Hifter forces to halt all military movements and urged all forces in Libya "to de-escalate and halt military activity."

The U.N. envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said the UN is determined to hold the planned national conference later this month to set time for possible elections.

Speaking at a news conference in Tripoli, he said he was striving to prevent the new crisis from getting out of control. "We have worked for one year for this national conference, we won't give up this political work quickly," he said.

© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Forces loyal to rival Libyan army commander Khalifa Hifter said Saturday they seized control of the main airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli, two days after Hifter ordered his forces to seize…

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Forces loyal to rival Libyan army commander Khalifa Hifter said Saturday they seized control of the main airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli, two days after Hifter ordered his forces to seize the seat of Libya’s U.N.-backed government.

Hifter’s media office said in a post online that they took full control of the Tripoli international airport and were working to secure the facility. They posted photos of troops apparently inside the airport, saying “we are standing at the heart of the Tripoli international airport.”

Hifter’s offensive on Tripoli could plunge the oil-rich country into another spasm of violence, possibly the worst since the 2011 civil war that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country is governed by rival authorities: The internationally backed government in Tripoli and the government in the east, which Hifter is aligned with. Each is backed by an array of militias.

Fayez Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, said his government had offered concessions to Hifter “to avoid bloodshed and to end divisions” and was surprised by Hifter’s order to take the capital.

“We were stabbed in the back,” he said Saturday in televised comments, adding that his forces would confront Hifter’s troops with “force and determination.”

The Tripoli airport has not been functional since fighting in 2014 destroyed much of the facility.

The media office said that troops also captured the area of Wadi el-Rabeia, south of Tripoli, amid clashed with militias loyal to Sarraj.

Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for the self-styled Libyan National Army led by Hifter, said 14 troops had been killed since Hifter declared the offensive. He said rival militias launched four airstrikes Saturday targeting Hifter’s position in the town of al-Aziziya, but that no casualties had been reported.

Hifter announced Thursday he was deploying his forces toward Tripoli, sparking fears that the tensions could be escalating out of control as militias from the western cities of Zawiya and Misarata said that they have mobilized to confront Hifter.

He also put at risk upcoming peace talks between Libyan rivals brokered by the U.N. aimed at drawing a roadmap for new elections.

The U.N. Security Council on Saturday called on Hifter forces to halt all military movements and urged all forces in Libya “to de-escalate and halt military activity.”

The U.N. envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said the UN is determined to hold the planned national conference later this month to set time for possible elections.

Speaking at a news conference in Tripoli, he said he was striving to prevent the new crisis from getting out of control. “We have worked for one year for this national conference, we won’t give up this political work quickly,” he said.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> The forces of eastern Libya's military strongman Khalifa Haftar have lost control of a key oil export terminal they had seized last year, a spokesman conceded on Saturday.

Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari said that the rival forces had overrun the main airfield in the oil port of Ras Lanuf and identified them as Islamists of the Benghazi Defence Brigades.

An array of forces, most of them loyal to the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been involved in efforts to oust Haftar from the oil ports, whose seizure enabled him to pose a major challenge to its authority.

But the Tripoli government on Friday evening denied any involvement in the renewed offensive on the oil ports, condemning it as a "military escalation".

The forces involved in the latest assault are a mixture of Islamist militias, eastern tribes opposed to Haftar and members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard which controlled the ports before Haftar's takeover.

"The attackers were armed with modern tanks and a radar to neutralise our air force," Mismari said.

"But the battle is ongoing. The situation in the Oil Crescent remains under control."

There are four ports along the Oil Crescent on the eastern part of the Gulf of Sirte which account for the lion's share of Libya's oil exports.

Haftar's forces seized Zueitina, Brega, Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra in a lightning offensive last September that dealt a major blow to the UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Haftar dominates a rival administration based in the east that continues to defy the GNA's authority.

He has backing from neighbouring Egypt, from the United Arab Emirates and increasingly from Russia.

Russia has been trying to broker talks in Egypt between Haftar and the GNA that would see it reformed with a major role for the strongman but so far they have not borne fruit.

Exports from the eastern oil terminals are Libya's main source of hard currency and so control over them has been bitterly contested.

In December, the Benghazi Defence Brigades carried out a similar attack on the Oil Crescent, but were repelled by Haftar's forces.

And in January, powerful militias from the western city of Misrata joined another such attack.

Rocked by chaos since the overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, Libya desperately needs to relaunch its oil exports, the backbone of its economy.

The GNA has struggled to impose its authority as it faces a multitude of battle-hardened fighters who took part in the uprising that ousted Kadhafi.
Forces loyal to Libyan general and former US citizen Khalifa Haftar, commander of the elected Council of Deputies military, seize control of the ports of Sidra, Ra's Lanuf, Brega and Zuwetina.