GENEVA // The latest abduction of nine foreign workers by ISIL from a Libyan oilfield underlines the growing strength of the group in the country, as it carves out a zone for itself wedged between two warring governments.
Armed forces of Libya’s recognised government which retook the Ghani oilfield in north-central Libya on Friday found the remains of eight Libyan guards executed by ISIL. The militants took with them hostages from Austria, Bangladesh, Czech Republic and the Philippines when they fled the facility.
Army spokesman Ahmed Al Mesmari said on Monday that the beheading of the guards was witnessed by a worker who later died of a heart attack.
Authorities in Austria, Bangladesh, the Czech Republic and the Philippines confirmed their nationals were kidnapped in the attack.
The latest abduction comes on the heels of last month’s mass execution of 21 Christians by ISIL in Sirte, which triggered retaliatory air strikes from Egypt where most of the men were from.
Many foreign oil companies, and nearly all embassies, have already evacuated from Libya after civil war broke out last year between Fajr Libya rebels who now control Tripoli and the western-backed House of Representatives (HOR) based in Tobruk.
Fighting between both governments continued on Monday with Tobruk air force units bombing Tripoli’s Miteega airport, denting hopes of a breakthrough after the UN convened peace talks between the warring factions last week in Morocco.
Austria blamed ISIL for the Ghani attack, with foreign ministry official Michel Linhart saying “there is no proof of death or life” after contact was lost with the foreign workers.
Austrian and Czech officials were supposed to go to Libya this week to find news about the hostages, all from Austrian oil company Value Added Oilfield Services, but the bombing of Tripoli’s airport may delay the mission.
Sirte lies at the junction between HOR forces, defending the key oil port of Es Sider 180 kilometres east of the city, and Fajr Libya forces from Misurata which control sections of Sirte.
Fajr Libya tried to storm Es Sider in December but failed.
Now, the area south of Sirte belongs to neither of the rival governments, but ISIL’s forces who control much of Sirte roam freely. ISIL units have raided four oilfields in the area in the past 10 days. ISIL has also established bases in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Derna, and launched a suicide attack on a luxury Tripoli hotel last month.
The militant group’s oilfield attacks further imperil an industry that has already seen production slashed by months of fighting.
“ISIL, by attacking fields, killing Libyan guards as well as taking foreign hostages, appears to be set on the total destruction of the country’s only economic support,” said John Hamilton, an analyst with Cross Border Information in London.
The growth of ISIL has put further pressure on United Nations Special Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) envoy Bernardino Leon to cement a peace deal between the warring sides.
Last week’s talks in Morocco were hailed as success by Mr Leon who said more negotiations will follow on Wednesday in efforts to build a new unity government, enabling Libya to tackle ISIL.
“There is a constructive and positive spirit,” he said. “We will continue working because we are dealing with very difficult and complex issues.”
While a key Fajr Libya leader, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, has said he supported the mediation process, the recognised government may be hardening its stance.
On Monday, as general Khalifa Haftar was sworn in as army chief of the government in Tobruk, the government launched fresh aistrikes on Fajr Libya positions in Tripoli’s Mitiga airport.
Before the Morocco talks, forces loyal to the Libyan government said they would halt air strikes for three days in a goodwill gesture.
Gen Haftar is one of Libya’s most polarising figures, with supporters backing his self-declared Operation Dignity campaign against what he calls “Islamist” forces, while Libya Dawn labels him a “terrorist”.
One Tobruk source said parliamentarians are resisting UN calls for a power-sharing unity government, arguing that it would reward Fajr Libya by giving it more power from the gun than the ballot box.
In June, pro-Dawn candidates won approximately 30 of parliament’s 200 seats in national elections.
The house of representatives is meanwhile waiting for a UN decision on its request to lift Libya’s international arms embargo, arguing that it needs to import heavy weapons to combat ISIL.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
