TRIPOLI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Sunday announced maximum security alert over possible terrorist attacks on oil ports and fields.
The information office of the army's gulf military zone said in a statement that an order to raise security alert was issued to all the units of the region.
It also noted that armed forces at the oil ports stand ready to repel any terrorist attack and their response would be harsh towards any attempt to advance towards the oil crescent region, an area that contains the country's largest oil ports and fields.
In the statement, Khalifa Emraja, commander of the gulf military zone, called on the citizens to take caution about any unknown individuals or objects, and work with the security services for public security.
Militant groups in Libya have launched several attacks on oil fields and ports in the eastern oil crescent region.
In April, guards at Libyan petroleum installations announced that a terrorist group blew up a crude oil pipeline near the town of Mrada, some 500 km east of the capital Tripoli.
In December 2017, a terrorist group bombed a crude oil pipeline of the state-owned Waha oil company in a desert area, causing losses of more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
Libya's daily production of crude oil has returned to about 1 million barrels a day since the end of 2017, after production operations in all southern and eastern oil fields were resumed.
However, sudden closures of oil fields due to protests as well as terrorist attacks have caused Libya's oil production to fluctuate.
