TRIPOLI, May 20, 2013 (AFP)
Armed men on Monday attacked Mellitah gas complex in western Libya, wounding a soldier and a leader of the brigade which guards the complex, the official Lana news agency reported.
“An armed group attacked at dawn the Mellitah gas complex wounding the commander of the brigade responsible for the security of the plant and a soldier,” it quoted a military source as saying.
The source said the attack did not disrupt gas production at the complex managed by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a company owned by Italian energy major ENI and Libyan National Oil Company.
In March, the complex was the scene of clashes between two former rebel groups from two cities in western Libya in charge of security at the installation. The clashes interrupted gas exports for several days.
The military source said that Monday’s attack was carried out by one of the two groups.
“The necessary steps were taken by the (military) staff who ordered the air force to track down the attackers,” Lana reported.
The complex, located around 100 kilometres (about 60 miles) from Tripoli, supplies Italy with 17 million cubic metres of gas per day through the Green Stream pipeline.
