Suspected IS militants kill two workers in Libya kidnapping spree

Two workers were killed and two others kidnapped when unknown assailants stormed an irrigation site in Tazerbo, in the far southeast of the country, on Saturday morning. The attack was the second witnessed by the water company in less than 48 hours.

The staff had been working on a huge venture to channel water from the desert when "terrorist groups" attacked, the Libya Man-made River Project said in a statement.

Assailants were "pillaging, killing and terrorising families, children and the workers who are ensuring the supply of water" from the Tazerbo plant, around 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) south-east of the capital Tripoli, it said.

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Local sources told The Libya Times that militants also seized cars and food supplies from the remote desert site.

Tazerbo officials issued a statement demanding the site’s workers and locals evacuate the area for fear of further deadly attacks.

An engineer and a security guard were killed in the attack, while two other guards were abducted.

The water scheme, which was the pride of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi, channels groundwater from the desert through a vast network of pipes towards coastal towns.

Another site involved in the venture, 1,000 kilometres south of Tripoli, was attacked on Friday. Three Filipino engineers and a South Korean were kidnapped.

The two attacks have not been claimed by any group, however locals were reporting it was the Islamic State group who were responsible for both incidents, in an attempt to demonstrate its continued presence in the chaos-stricken country.

The violence comes less than two weeks since three Turks were released after being kidnapped in November while working on the construction of a power plant in south-western Libya.

Since Qaddafi was ousted from power and killed in 2011, foreign workers and diplomatic missions have frequently been targeted by militias or extremists such as the Islamic State group.