WED 24 - 4 - 2024
 
Date: Jan 16, 2015
Source: The Daily Star
Libya attacks suspect trawler carrying fuel
Reuters: BENGHAZI, Libya: A Libyan warplane attacked a fishing trawler carrying gasoline to the port of Benghazi this week after the internationally recognized government suspected it of supplying Islamist militants, a military official said Thursday.

Libya’s recognized government, which has been driven out of the capital, is locked in escalating conflict with a self-declared government of a faction known as Libya Dawn that seized Tripoli last summer.

There were no details about the ownership or origin of the vessel that military official Mohammad Hejazi said was attacked Tuesday off the coast of the eastern city of Benghazi, which has seen heavy fighting for months between pro-government forces and Islamist militants.

Forces from the recognized government carried out an airstrike on a Greek-operated oil tanker on Jan. 4, killing two crewmen after claiming it was acting suspiciously.

The United Nations Thursday held a second day of talks aimed at ending Libya’s crisis, forming a unity government and halting hostilities. But representatives of the Tripoli government have postponed a decision to join talks.

“Discussions during the first session Wednesday were constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere,” the U.N. said.

“There was a clear sense of determination among the participants to ensure that this dialogue succeeds,” it added in a statement.

Each rival government is backed by heavily armed factions of former rebels who once battled side by side to oust longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, but have since turned against each other in a scramble for power and control over Libya’s oil wealth.

Fighting over oil assets has closed two major oil ports in the east and slashed Libya’s oil output to around 300,000 barrels per day from the 1.6 million barrels per day produced before the NATO-backed civil war toppled Gadhafi.



 
Readers Comments (0)
Add your comment

Enter the security code below*

 Can't read this? Try Another.
 
Related News
Down but not out, Haftar still looms over Libya peace process
Turkey's Erdogan meets with head of Libya's UN-recognized govt
Media watchdog urges Libyan gov't to release reporter
Key Libyan interior minister suspended amid protests
Russia and Turkey agree to push for Libya ceasefire, says Moscow
Related Articles
Divisions over Libya are now spreading across the Mediterranean
Erdogan wades into Libya quagmire
It’s time to tackle inequality from the middle
Haftar’s rebranded Libya coups
Russia’s mediation goals in Libya
Copyright 2024 . All rights reserved