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.

Video - 5 Foreigners, 3 Guards Killed, result attack on the Corinthia Hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli .- Updates

 5 Foreigners, 3 Guards Killed, result attack on the Corinthia Hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.(SP).


Update (Reuters) (ABC)

Mahmoud Hamza, commander of the so-called Special Deterrent Force, told private satellite television station al-Nabaa that the situation was "under control" Tuesday afternoon, though he couldn't confirm the whereabouts of the gunmen. He also said five foreigners were killed, without elaborating.

Another security official earlier said the gunmen killed three guards and took hostages, but had no further information on the captives' identities. He also said that two commercial landmark towers behind the hotel were evacuated out of security concerns. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

He said the hotel had Italian, British and Turkish guests, but the hotel was largely empty at the time of the attack.

He said the militia-backed Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi usually resides at the hotel, but was not there Tuesday. Al-Hassi's security guards also weren't there.(hmmm....Ain't he a lucky guy)



  At least eight people, including five foreigners, were killed during an attack by gunmen against a luxury hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Tuesday, a security official told local television.

Mahmoud Hamza, director of Libya's special deterrence force, told al-Naba television that five foreigners, including two women, as well as a security officer and two of the gunmen, died in the attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli. He did not give the nationalities of the foreigners.

The confrontation began Tuesday morning after masked gunmen used a car bomb as a diversion and got into the hotel killing three guards. Three Filipino women were wounded by smashed window glass.

Several gunmen have reportedly broken into a Tripoli luxury hotel after a car bomb blast outside the building, media report.

At least eight people confirmed dead including foreigners.

According to various reports Islamic state militants are holding now 12 foreign diplomats.

"They ascended to the 21st floor, which houses foreign diplomats and representatives from foreign companies," the source said, adding that the attackers had "taken 12 foreigners hostage,"

According to SITE, IS fighters dubbed the operation "Battle of Abu Anas al-Libi". Abu Anas Libi was an alleged al-Qaeda member suspected in the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. He was captured by US forces in Tripoli in October 2013 and died in a US hospital earlier in January.

Eyetwitnesses report gunmen are holed up in the 20th floor of the Corinthia Hotel, have taken at least five hostages. According to local TV channel al-Nabaa, "senior officials" are inside the hotel. Reuters reports citin a security source that Prime Minister of the Tripoli Government Omar Hassi was also in the Corinthia hotel during the attack. More here.

AP - 5 Foreigners, 3 Guards Killed in #Libya-n Hotel Attack http://t.co/XfcNTght6N
— Good Morning Libya (@Morning_LY) January 27, 2015

UPDATE: Attackers blow themselves up inside #CorinthiaHotel in #Tripoli - Reports http://t.co/Rh7RnO6wpC pic.twitter.com/PAEerK0B4D

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) January 27, 2015

#Libya: reports coming in from #Tripoli that the 3 remaining #Corinthia attackers have just blown themselves up.
— Charlie Winter (@charliewinter) January 27, 2015

#Libya: reports coming in from #Tripoli that the 3 remaining #Corinthia attackers have just blown themselves up.
— Charlie Winter (@charliewinter) January 27, 2015

#Libya: stills of CCTV images purporting to show two of the gunmen involved in attack on #Tripoli's #Corinthia hotel. pic.twitter.com/lGflrSopkp
— Charlie Winter (@charliewinter) January 27, 2015

#Libya: local news also reporting that multiple "important individuals" have been taken hostage by gunmen in #Tripoli's #Corinthia hotel.
— Charlie Winter (@charliewinter) January 27, 2015

ISIS-linked gunmen reportedly storm luxury hotel in Libya, killing five foreigners and three guards: http://t.co/zzsDkjAIYX
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) January 27, 2015

At Least Five People Reportedly Killed By Gunmen In Libya Hotel http://t.co/BGxjFHjKgd
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) January 27, 2015

#Libya | UPDATE (unconfirmed): #IslamicState claims that its fighters are now engaged in a shootout inside Corenthia pic.twitter.com/Yupulecom1
— Good Morning Libya (@Morning_LY) January 27, 2015

#Libya | UPDATE (Unconfirmed) - Jihadi sources claim that 8 people were killed in the shootout inside the Corenthia including Europeans.
— Good Morning Libya (@Morning_LY) January 27, 2015

#Libya | More photos of today's double suicide car bombing outside #Tripoli's Corenthia hotel: pic.twitter.com/GBWLo5pwi8
— Good Morning Libya (@Morning_LY) January 27, 2015

At least 13 killed, 130 wounded in Libyan capital as militia opens fire with heavy weapons at protesters.

At least 13 killed, 130 wounded in Libyan capital as militia opens fire with heavy weapons at protesters.(RT).

Libyan Defense Minister Abdullah Al-Thani cut short his visit to Jordan and is returning to his home country, LANA reported. Libya’s prime minister, Ali Zeidan, is expected to make a statement in the next few hours.

The Misrata militia reportedly opened fire with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at protesters as they approached its headquarters in the Gharghour district.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the Libyan capital, calling to intensify the security presence and end the militias’ rule established in 2011, after the uprising that ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The protesters marched from a downtown mosque to the headquarters of the militia waving Libyan flags and chanting slogans such as "We want an army, we want police." 

According to a Reuter’s report, the militia fired an anti-aircraft cannon into the crowd, after which the protesters first fled but then returned heavily armed. The report added that the demonstrators stormed the gated building, and kept the militiamen there until nightfall. 
According to reports, the HQ was torched and other buildings in the district belonging to the Misrata militia were raided by demonstrators.
The Libyan Defense Ministry has ordered the country's armed forces and the police to intervene immediately to restore order. Dozens of trucks reportedly arrived with backup, sealing off roads in an attempt to end the clashes.
The rally was sparked by a string of recent street clashes in which the militia from the city of Misrata, which has a heavy presence in the capital, also played a central role. The violence was also triggered by the killing of one of the Misrata group's commanders.

Part of the militia was formed from local brigades of rebels including Islamic militants who fought against Gaddafi’s government. After the fall of the leader, the government tasked the former rebel forces with maintaining security. However, the militia has not been put under state control, prompting the armed groups to act on their own agenda. Hmmm.....Lybia another 'Obamination'.

Libyan prime minister kidnapped in Tripoli

Libyan prime minister kidnapped in Tripoli. (TOI).

The Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has been kidnapped by armed men who stormed a hotel he was residing in Tripoli on Thursday.

The country’s Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani has confirmed the reports to Al Arabiya.

The Libyan government announced the kidnap by a brief statement on their official website.

“The head of the transitional government, Ali Zeidan, was taken to an unknown destination for unknown reasons by a group” of men believed to be former rebels, the statement said.

Libyan Rebels: Muammar Gadhafi has fled and the city of Tripoli has fallen -'Colonel Gaddafi's Son Captured'

Israel Radio has just reported that Muammar Gadhafi has fled and the city of Tripoli has fallen.(Liveleak).Here's a report and video from Sky News which has a reporter embedded with the rebels: Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford, accompanying the rebels, said the opposition fighters were greeted with scenes of jubilation as they made their way through the outskirts of the capital.
As they entered the city, their cars gridlocked the roads, she said, and hundreds of people came out onto the streets to greet them.The rebels responded with celebratory gunfire, she said.
"We are now just a very short distance from the centre, with more and more people coming onto the streets.
"They (the rebels) had been expecting much more resistance but there has been very little."
"There is absolutely no question in their minds that they have beaten Gaddafi and it is just a question of how he will go," she added.
The quick advance came after the fighters captured the base of the Khamis Brigade, 16 miles west of the capital.
It is said to be one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan military and is commanded by Col Gaddafi's 27-year-old son Khamis.
Aside from the main rebel movement from the west of the city, fighting also broke out in the city's Mitiga airbase, while the suburb of Tajoura reportedly also fell under rebel control.
Gunfire was also heard near the hotel where foreign media are staying.
As the rebel movement came closer to the capital, Col Gaddafi broadcast a message on state television calling on Libyan people to come from all regions and liberate Tripoli.He said he was "afraid Tripoli will burn" but that he will remain in the city until the end.The Libyan government also earlier appealed for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Nato's "aggression".Spokesman for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Moussa Ibrahim, told reporters the rebels were nothing without Nato and they would never be able to take Libya. Maybe. But Gadhafi is now gone.

Libyan Rebels: 'Colonel Gaddafi's Son Captured'.Libyan rebels have told Sky News that Saif Al-Islam, Colonel Gaddafi's son, has been captured, as the end of the regmine appears to draw ever closer. Source.