Some 34 Libya Dawn forces were killed and 48 others wounded by Libyan forces near the country's largest oil port of Sidra on Tuesday, a Libyan army commander said.
Clashes near the port are still going on between Dawn forces, an Islamist militia that controls the capital Tripoli, and army forces loyal to the internationally recognized government based in the east of the country, said spokesman for the Libyan General Staff Colonel Ahmed Mesmari.
Heavy weapons and rockets are used in the fighting, he said.
Air Force aircraft gave a hand to army forces on the ground to repel the attack on the port, he said.
One soldier was killed and four others wounded in the clashes.
The oil port, situated in eastern Libya, normally exports 400,000 barrels a day—about a third of Libya’s capacity, but it has been out of operation because of damage caused by fighting in December.