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Navy Seals board rogue Libya oil tanker Morning Glory | Navy Seals board rogue Libya oil tanker Morning Glory |
(about 7 hours later) | |
The US has taken control of a tanker full of oil loaded from a rebel-held port in Libya, the Pentagon says. | The US has taken control of a tanker full of oil loaded from a rebel-held port in Libya, the Pentagon says. |
The raid by Navy Seals took place in international waters south of Cyprus, said spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby. | The raid by Navy Seals took place in international waters south of Cyprus, said spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby. |
The Morning Glory's evasion of a naval blockade at the eastern port of Sidra prompted Libya's parliament to sack Prime Minister Ali Zeidan last week. | The Morning Glory's evasion of a naval blockade at the eastern port of Sidra prompted Libya's parliament to sack Prime Minister Ali Zeidan last week. |
In a separate incident on Monday, an attack on an army base in the city of Benghazi killed several soldiers. | |
A bomb went off as people were leaving a graduation ceremony for officers, police said. | |
'Illicit' cargo | |
The Morning Glory was the first vessel to have loaded oil from a rebel-held port since a separatist revolt against the central government in Tripoli erupted in July 2013. It is not clear where the tanker was headed. | |
Adm Kirby said the operation had been authorised by President Barack Obama and that no-one had been hurt. | Adm Kirby said the operation had been authorised by President Barack Obama and that no-one had been hurt. |
"The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained," he said, adding that it would now be returned to a Libyan port. | "The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained," he said, adding that it would now be returned to a Libyan port. |
The vessel was flagged in North Korea but officials in Pyongyang said it had been deregistered because of the incident. | The vessel was flagged in North Korea but officials in Pyongyang said it had been deregistered because of the incident. |
It was said to have been operated by an Egyptian company. | It was said to have been operated by an Egyptian company. |
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the US move is likely to act as a deterrent to any further attempts to illicitly buy oil from the rebel-controlled ports. | The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the US move is likely to act as a deterrent to any further attempts to illicitly buy oil from the rebel-controlled ports. |
She says that after backing the 2011 rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi, the US does not want Libya to become a failed state. | She says that after backing the 2011 rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi, the US does not want Libya to become a failed state. |
The Libyan government is still struggling to assert its authority on rebel groups that helped to overthrow Col Gaddafi. |