Libya says 11 oil fields non-operational after Islamic state attacks.

Libya says 11 oil fields non-operational after Islamic state attacks.(DS).

TRIPOLI, Libya: Libya's state-run oil corporation has declared 11 oil fields in the country non-operational after attacks by suspected ISIS militants, opting for a force majeure clause that exempts the state from contractual obligations.

The National Oil Corporation blamed authorities in the Libyan-capital of Tripoli, set up by Islamist-backed militias, for failing to protect the oil fields.

The statement, issued Wednesday night, says that "theft, looting, sabotage and destruction" of the oil fields have been on the rise despite pleas for the authorities to ensure safety of Libya's oil installations.

The oil corporation earlier said that Libya's oil production has dropped dramatically, to about 25 percent of normal levels. It recently reached 500,000 barrels per day, according to Oil Minister Mashallah al-Zewi.

Khaled Ben Osman, head of the National Council for Oil and Gas in Tripoli, the 11 non-operational oil fields make up 30 percent of the overall number of fields in Libya. The remaining ones are not all operational and a number of them have either closed for maintenance or have remained closed since the anti-Gadhafi uprising. Read the full story here.