BENGHAZHI, Libya
Libyan army troops have liberated two oil fields in central Libya from the control of militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group, a military official said.
"[Army] oil guard forces in the central region on Saturday retook control of al-Mabrouk and al-Bahi oilfields which were taken over by ISIL a few days ago," spokesman for the oil guard force Ali al-Hassi told The Anadolu Agency.
"The operation to retake the two fields began on Friday with the aid of Libya's Air Force, which played a significant role in bombing ISIL targets," al-Hassi said.
Earlier this month, militants claiming to belong to ISIL staged an assault on al-Mabrouk oilfield that left 13 dead - eight Libyans, three Filipinos and two Ghanaians.
Last Friday, ISIL carried out another attack on al-Bahi oil field during which several oil storage tanks caught on fire.
Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 ouster and death of long-ruling strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
In the more than three years since, rival militias have frequently locked horns, often bringing violence to the country's main cities, especially Benghazi and capital Tripoli.
The sharp political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government in Tripoli and Tobruk, each of which has its own institutions.
