As IS militants continue to attack Libya's oil export terminal of Sidra for the second day in a row, Platts offers some context about the importance of Sidra and Ras Lanuf oil terminals.
Sidra is Libya's largest crude oil export terminal and can produce 340,000 barrels per day.
Ras Lanuf is a 220,000 barrels per day terminal.
Both terminals have been closed since June, however, when Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure. As a result, Libya has been left with just 195,000 barrels per day export capacity.
Libya's Channel has noted that there has been speculation on social media that one of the IS militants who carried out car suicide bombings yesterday at Sidra could be a 16-year-old boy who recently disappeared from Tripoli.
IS released a photo of the suicide bomber, whom it named as Abu Abdallah al-Ansari and who was pictured with his face covered.
Abu Abdallah al-Ansari is pictured on right in the tweet below.
At least 14 people have been killed -- including nine members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) since yesterday in clashes with IS around Sidra in Libya's oil crescent.
Two more members of Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) were killed today as clashes continued for a second day with IS militants near the oil port of Sidra, Ali Hassi, a spokesman for the PFG, told Reuters.
Hassi said that IS militants attacked checkpoints 30-40 km from Sidra.
A second oil storage tank was set on fire by a long range rocket fired by IS.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS has denied claims by IS that its militants overran Barwana and Sakran, two towns near Haditha in Anbar province.
U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren said that IS had launched offensives near Haditha and that coalition air strikes helped Iraqi forces push back an initial offensive by IS against Haditha by around 200 militants.
Warren said more than 100 IS militants were killed.
There are ongoing clashes between IS militants and Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) southwest of Sidra in Wadi Kahila, a PFG spokesman has said.
IS in Libya has released photos of its January 4 raid on the Sidra oil port, the Long War Journal reports.
Some of the photos show militants inside an oil installation.
Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) said that they repelled the January 4 attack but IS has attacked Sidra again today.
Although Libya's oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf -- which have come under attack from IS militants over the past two days -- are not operating, the growing presence of the IS group in Libya means the country is "unlikely to regain pre-crisis production any time soon," Reuters reports.
Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) has denied that the IS group has taken over oil reservoirs near Sidra, Al Wasat reports.
IS has published photos and a short video showing its militants near oil storage tanks south of Sidra on January 4.
From our news desk:
IS Launches Attacks Near Northwest Iraqi City
Islamic State (IS) fighters have launched several offensives near the city of Haditha in northwest Iraq in the last 48 hours.
The U.S.-led coalition against the IS extremist group said on January 5 that the attacks had been “broken by a combination of coalition air power and Iraqi security forces."
U.S. Colonel Steve Warren said more than 100 IS militants were killed.
Security sources were quoted as saying at least 25 fighters were also killed on the Iraqi government side.
Iraqi officials said IS fighters were able to seize the village of Sakrana in the course of their offensive, which comes after the group lost control of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, a week ago.
Haditha is located in Anbar some 200 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. The dam north of the city is the country's second largest.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP