Militants launched rocket-propelled grenades at a joint Statoil/BP gas plant in Algeria, but failed to harm the facility or its personnel. Reuters reports that the affiliation of the attackers is unknown, but that they are currently being pursued by the Algerian army. Energy facilities in Algeria increased their security efforts after the attack on the In Amenas gas plant in 2013, but the spreading influence of the Islamic State – as well as the increased activity from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – has worried some observers. Algeria is a key source of natural gas for Europe, and it remains to be seen how the Islamic State’s activities in Libya will affect the security of the energy operations there.
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