Hans Rustad US Navy SEALS aksjonerte søndag mot en nordkoreansk oljetanker utenfor kysten av Kypros, som var lastet med olje stjålet fra Libya av en militsleder.
Hvis salg utenom sentralmakten hadde lyktes hadde det betydd det samme som en oppsmuldring av Libya.
Det er militsleder Ibrahim Jathran i Benghazi som står bak.
Among the most high-profile of the armed groups is that of Ibrahim Jathran, whose forces engineered the illicit oil sale. He and other groups in Libya’s East have demanded autonomy and a greater share of oil revenues. But their months-long blockade of key ports had reduced oil output to a trickle.
The North Korean-flagged tanker had sailed last week from the Libyan port of Es Sedr, following ineffectual threats from Libya’s deposed Prime Minister Ali Zeidan to use force to prevent it from leaving. Zeidan was ousted by lawmakers hours after the vessel left the port, with Defense Minister Abullah Al-Thini stepping in as his interim replacement. Zeidan, who left Libya, said Parliament’s move against him was invalid.
The tanker was being brought back to Libya, the Pentagon said — presumably to a port under the control of government forces. The rebels who months ago took control of eastern Libya’s main oil ports and other installations had announced their intention to sell the oil on the black market.
The Morning Glory’s cargo was estimated to be worth about $36 million, money that Libya’s government said belonged to the Libyan people. North Korea said the flagging of the vessel had been in error, and said it had no connection with its owners.
