The Libyan National Army (LNA) has started to patrol oilfields and ports in eastern Libya in a bid to protect the so-called oil crescent area from any attacks that could be launched by armed groups operating in the country, Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) spokesman Ibrahim al-Faidi told Sputnik
BENGHAZI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2020) The Libyan National Army (LNA) has started to patrol oilfields and ports in eastern Libya in a bid to protect the so-called oil crescent area from any attacks that could be launched by armed groups operating in the country, Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) spokesman Ibrahim al-Faidi told Sputnik.
The "oil crescent" region includes foreign petroleum companies that have invested in the North African country and stretches along the country's coast from the port city of Tobruk, where the LNA-backed eastern Libyan parliament is based, to the oil depot of As Sidr.
"The military entities comprising of the Petroleum Facilities Guard's units and special task forces have moved as the patrols toward the area of the 'oil crescent,' as well as to petroleum fields and ports, under the cover of the Libyan Air Force's fighters," the spokesman said.
The operation has been launched according to the orders of the LNA's commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the spokesman added.
"Military patrols are now performing their mandated tasks within the framework of establishing security on the oilfields and facilities in order to protect them from any attacks expected from armed militias," the spokesman said, noting that the patrols would not interfere with the work of companies operating in these areas.
In Libya, the confrontation between Haftar's LNA and its main rival - the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - has practically split the oil-rich country into two parts. In recent weeks, troops affiliated with the GNA have made major military gains against Haftar's army. The western-based government, backed by Turkey and Qatar, also said it wanted to seize the strategic city of Sirte from the LNA.
Earlier in the month, an armed group broke into the country's largest Sharara oilfield and ordered its employees to shut down production. In response, Libya's National Oil Corporation has condemned an incident in the strongest terms and said that it totally rejected any military presence within the company's facilities. The incident came several days after the oilfield resumed operations following a four-month suspension.
