IS fighters try again to take Libyan oil terminal

Suspected Islamic State group militants have attacked one of Libya's major oil terminals, setting storage tanks on fire at the coastal Ras Lanuf facility, only weeks after a similar attack.

At least two storage tanks from the Harouge Oil Operations company were set ablaze.

The attack took place early on Wednesday, said Mohammed al-Hariri, spokesman of the state-run National Oil Corporation. The group had threatened further attacks, he said.

Islamic State fighter Abu Abdelrahman al-Liby, meanwhile, addressed viewers in a video posted on the group's official Telegram channel: "Today Es Sider port and Ras Lanuf and tomorrow the port of Brega - and, after, the ports of Tobruk, Es Serir, Jallo, and al-Kufra."

Earlier this month, four oil storage tanks were set ablaze during deadly fighting in al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf, as the extremist group continued efforts to seize export terminals. At least 10 security guards were killed during the clashes.

Satellite photos also revealed the scale of the fire, showing the Libyan coast marred by plumes of black smoke emanating from the oil.

	NASA images revealed the scale of the blaze

The Islamic State group affiliate in Libya, which controls the central city of Sirte, has carried out several such attacks and destroyed at least a dozen oil tanks.

Attacks on the nearby Sidra oil port completely destroyed 16 out of 19 fuel tanks there, dealing a heavy blow to Libya's already embattled oil sector.

Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 ousting and death of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

It has had rival administrations since August 2014, when an Islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the government to take refuge in Tobruk, to the east.

The United Nations is pressing both sides to accept a power-sharing agreement it hopes will help to reverse IS' territorial gains.

After months of wrangling, Libya's two warring legislatures agreed to form a joint cabinet on Tuesday, raising hopes for an end to fighting amid a growing extremist threat.

Oil is Libya's main natural resource, and the country sits on reserves estimated at 48 billion barrels, the largest in Africa.

It had a pre-revolt output capacity of about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), accounting for more than 95 percent of exports.

But unrest has forced a major slump in production, and output now stands at around 500,000 bpd.