MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2018) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly condemned on Monday the armed attack on the headquarters of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli.
Earlier in the day, armed masked men attacked the NOC office, while a suicide bomber carried out an explosion inside the building. Two people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack. The head of the corporation and its employees were successfully evacuated.
"The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly condemns the cowardly terrorist attack on the National Oil Company today. It expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," the statement said.
The attack on the country's main source of national wealth is a blow against all Libyans, it added.
"The Mission calls on Libyans to desist from futile side conflicts and come together, in partnership with the international community, to eradicate the scourge of terrorism across the country," the UNSMIL concluded.
Libya has been torn apart by conflict since long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the Tobruk-based parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA). The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli. The two governments have also been arguing about the distribution of revenues from oil exports. In summer, the work of the Libyan oil terminals was repeatedly suspended due to militant attacks.
