No verified report yet on 2 Pinoys killed in Libyan oilfield, says DFA spokesman

The Department of Foreign Affairs has not received verified information about two Filipinos being among those killed by gunmen in an oilfield in Libya.
 
In a text message to GMA News Online on Thursday, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose said: "We have no verified report on that."
 
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said three Filipinos were among seven foreigners abducted by unidentified armed men at the Mabruk Oil Field on Tuesday. 
 
The abduction came a week after a Filipino woman was injured in a terrorist attack on an upscale hotel in capital Tripoli, highlighting the danger faced by hundreds of Philippine nationals working in the country, which has been plagued by months of civil unrest and armed hostilities.
 
However, a Reuters report quoting a Libyan official said two Filipinos, eight Libyans, and two Ghanaian nationals were killed during the raid. No one was kidnapped, the same report said. 
 
According to Reuters, Abdelhakim Maazab, commander of a security force in charge of protecting the oilfield, said most "were beheaded or killed by gunfire."
 
A French diplomatic source in Paris and another Libyan official said Islamic State militants were behind the attack, which took place on Tuesday night.
 
It was impossible to get more details on the incident which happened in a remote part of the turbulent desert nation.
 
At least 4,000 workers have remained in Libya, defying calls from the Philippine government to leave.
 
The DFA is enforcing mandatory evacuation of all OFWs there after declaring crisis alert level 4 – the highest security warning given by the Philippines on countries that pose security risks to Filipino travelers and migrant workers due to armed conflict or disaster. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/RSJ, GMA News

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