Libyan strongman Haftar’s forces say 2 key oil ports recaptured

A force led by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar said on Thursday that it had recaptured two key oil export terminals, a week after they were attacked by a rival militia. “Our armed forces have full control of the Ras Lanuf region,” the force’s spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said, later adding that it had also seized the al-Sidra terminal. Haftar, whose force is dominant in eastern Libya, announced an offensive to recapture the terminals earlier the same day, following a week of clashes that slashed crude output, AFP reported. “Zero hour has passed” to “crush the enemy,” Haftar said in an audio message to his self-styled Libyan National Army, launching the operation in the country's northeastern oil crescent.