TRIPOLI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Libyan army and forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar sent military reinforcements to the oil-rich region known as the oil crescent region to fight Libya Dawn militias, military officials said on Sunday.
A military official told Xinhua that a total of 16 new armored vehicles were sent to the oil crescent.
General Saqr Al-Jroshi, Haftar's air force commander, announced that two Su-24M air fighters joined the air force fleet and landed in Ras Lanuf Oil Airport.
Meanwhile, infantry units military commanders and 30 military vehicles arrived in the region, accompanied by additional military vehicles and personnel in support of the combat confronting the region.
Militias of Libya Dawn launched a military operation earlier last week named "Sunrise operation to liberate oil fields and port." It claimed that the operation was ordered by the outgoing General National Congress.
The oil crescent region is an area which includes a number of cities between Benghazi and Sirte (500 km east of the capital). It contains the largest oil reserves in the country, in addition to the ports of Al-Sidra, Ras Lanuf and Brega, the biggest oil ports in Libya.
Fighting in the oil crescent region caused a decline in Libyan oil production to around 250 thousand barrels per day, compared to 800 thousand barrels per day before fighting began earlier last week.
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