The Associated Press: Libya commander says 15 killed in oil port attacks
Suspected Moammar Gadhafi’s loyalists staged twin attacks on a key oil refinery Monday in possibly coordinated strikes that suggest revolutionary forces still face resistance in areas under their control. At least 15 attackers were killed, an anti-Gadhafi commander said.
The back-to-back assaults in the coastal oil facility at Ras Lanuf — saboteurs setting fires and then a convoy of gunmen riding in from the desert — was a reminder that opposition forces have potential security challenges across Libya despite pushing out Gadhafi’s regime from all but a few strongholds.
Col. Hamid al-Hasi, the commander for anti-Gadhafi force in eastern Libya, said a group of 15 employees set fire to the facility, located about 380 miles (615 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli. He said five of the saboteurs were killed and the rest arrested.
In a separate attack, the port was targeted by a convoy of armed men apparently based in a refugee camp about 18 miles (30 kilometers) south of Ras Lanuf. One revolutionary commander, Fadl-Allah Haroun, said a total of 15 people were killed in both attacks.