Firefighters 'Unable to Get' to Burning Libyan Port After Militant Attack

Firefighters are still unable to gain access to the burning oil facilities in Libya's Ras Lanuf terminal due to the security situation, Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) spokesman Mohammed Harari told Sputnik.

TRIPOLI (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, media reported that militants, allegedly from Daesh jihadist group, attacked oil facilities and set fire to at least two oil storage tanks belonging to Harouge Oil Operations, a joint venture between the NOC and Canada's Suncor Oil.

"Fire engines and [members of] the emergency situations committee have not yet managed to enter the terminal to extinguish the fire in the oil storage tanks because of the fragile security situation," Harari said.

According to Harari, it is impossible to estimate the company's losses, as two or three oil storage tanks are still burning.

According to reports, Daesh militants released a video via the Telegram messenger, in which it threatened to attack other Libyan oil facilities, including the ports of Brega, Tobruk, Es Serir, Jallo, and al-Kufra.

Earlier in January, Daesh militants set fire to an oil tank in Ras Lanuf port and set the terminal ablaze in Es Sidra.

The instability that has plagued Libya since 2011 has led to the emergence of numerous militant groups, including Daesh, which is outlawed in a range of countries, including Russia.