Fighting breaks out near Libya oil terminalsSeptember 12, 2016 - 10:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Forces loyal to a Libyan general have attacked key oil terminals held by allies of the UN-backed government, BBC News reports. Gen Khalifa Haftar's fighters say they took control of the Ras Lanuf and Sidra terminals but the claim was denied by a militia guarding them. The militia did confirm coming under attack on Sunday morning and said there had been a number of casualties. Libya has been plagued by instability and infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Oil production has dropped to about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the 1.6m bpd it was producing before Gaddafi's fall, Reuters news agency reports. Gen Haftar, a former commander in Gaddafi's army who later worked to topple him from exile, is one of the most powerful military figures in Libya. He refuses to recognise the authority of the UN-backed Government of National Accord in the capital Tripoli, and is loyal to a rival government based in the eastern city of Tobruk. The general leads the Libyan National Army, an umbrella group of army units and other forces loyal to them. Ras Lanuf and Sidra together account for more than half of Libya's output of oil. A spokesman for the Petroleum Facilities Guard militia, Ali Alhassi, told the BBC the attack had started at 07:30 (05:30 GMT) and fighting had also been reported at Zuitina. There were casualties but he could not give any confirmed numbers, he added. Ahmed al-Masmari, a spokesman for Gen Haftar's forces, told reporters they had taken Ras Lanuf and Sidra and were still fighting for Zuitina. The UK Ambassador to Libya, Peter Millett, tweeted to say reports of fighting around Libya's oil terminals were "worrying". Martin Kobler, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, tweeted: "worried about reported fighting in the oil crescent. will add to division and further restricting oil exports. oil belongs to ALL libyans." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |