Libya’s Petroleum Facilities Guard captured a town near the country’s biggest oil port of Es Sider after clashes with Islamic State militants as the divided country works to reunite factions and revive the economy and oil production. The force took control of Bin Jawad in central Libya after clashes during which five petroleum guards were killed and 16 others wounded, PFG spokesman Ali al-Hasy said by phone. At least six Islamic State militants were killed, he said. The petroleum guards were also battling Islamic State militants at the nearby town of Nofaliyeh, he said. “The Islamic State’s retreat came after we besieged them and prevented them from getting supplies over the past weeks,” al-Hasy said. Libya pumped about 1.6 million barrels a day of crude before the 2011 rebellion that ended Moammar Al Qaddafi’s 42-year rule. It’s now the smallest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, with […]