TRIPOLI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen on Monday attacked Libya's largest oil field Sharara for unknown reasons, according to a government official.
"Gunmen attacked the station 186 of Sharara oil field and attacked also the staff in the field. Some of them were beaten and robbed. The reason of the attack is unknown," the official told Xinhua.
"The forces responsible for securing the field told us that the gunmen took advantage of the weak security and the forces' lack of resources," the official added.
The oil field is still operating despite the attack, the official confirmed.
Sharara is the largest oil field in Libya, producing about 270,000 barrels of crude oil per day, more than a quarter of Libya's crude production, which reached one million barrels per day in August.
The field is run by the state-owned National Oil Corporation, in partnership with Repsol, Total and OMV.
Sharara, located in southern Libya, was reopened in December last year after two years of closure by oil installations guards.
