UPDATED: House-to-house fighting around Tripoli

Reuters reported that an armed group tried to attack Libya’s El Sharara oilfield, the country’s biggest, but there was no impact on production, a field engineer said on Monday.

The gunmen were stopped outside the field, he said, asking not to be identified.

Earlier, forces backing Libya’s internationally recognized government fought house-to-house battles with troops loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar in southern parts of the capital Tripoli in the area of southern neighbourhood of Ain Zara on Sunday and appeared to be gaining ground.

Two eastern operations of state oil firm NOC on Sunday for the first time specifically said they supported his offensive. The NOC as a whole has tried to stay out of the conflict.

Two NOC units based in areas under Haftar’s control issued statements supporting the offensive on Sunday, a day after their Tripoli headquarters had condemned all military use of its facilities.

Benghazi-based AGOCO congratulated Haftar’s forces “on the success and progress in its striving against extremist terrorist militias and militias which steal public funds”.

A separate NOC unit in the east, Sirte Oil Co, also issued a statement backing the Tripoli advance.

Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a rival administration in eastern Libya, mounted an offensive on Tripoli three weeks ago but has failed to breach defences in the city’s south despite heavy fighting. Both sides have gained and lost territory within days or even hours during the fighting.

The battle for the capital has all but wrecked U.N.-backed efforts for a peace deal between the rival factions and threatened to further disrupt Libya’s oil industry.

Via Reuters