Libya Warplane Attacks Benghazi Bound Trawler

A Libyan warplane attacked a fishing trawler carrying gasoline to the port of Benghazi this week after the internationally recognised government suspected it of supplying Islamist militants, a military official said on Thursday.

Libya's recognized government, which has been driven out of the capital, is locked in escalating conflit with a self-declared government of a faction known as Libya Dawn that seized Tripoli last summer.

There were no details about the ownership or origin of the vessel which military official Mohamed Hejazi said was attacked on Tuesday off the coast of the eastern city of Benghazi, which has seen heavy fighting for months between pro-government forces and Islamist militants.

Forces from the recognized government carried out an air strike on a Greek-operated oil tanker on Jan. 4, killing two crewmen. after claiming it was acting suspiciously.

The United Nations on Thursday held a second day of talks aimed at ending Libya's crisis, forming a unity government and halting hostilities. But representatives of the Tripoli government have postponed a decision to join talks.

"Discussions during the first session on Wednesday were constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere. There was a clear sense of determination among the participants to ensure that this dialogue succeeds," the U.N. said in a statement.

Each rival government is backed by heavily armed factions of former rebels who once battled side by side to oust Gaddafi, but have since turned against each other in a scramble for power and control over Libya's oil wealth.

Fighting over oil assets has closed two major oil ports in the east and slashed Libya's oil output to around 300,000 barrels per day from the 1.6 million bpd produced before the NATO-backed civil war toppled Gaddafi in 2011.

Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli