TRIPOLI, LIBYA — The Libyan government on Monday thanked the United States for a Navy SEALs operation that stopped a North Korean-flagged oil tanker from exporting crude loaded onto it by an autonomy-seeking eastern militia.
The SEALs took control of the Morning Glory late Sunday in international waters near Cyprus, the Pentagon said. Rear Adm. John Kirby said no one was injured in the operation, which was approved by President Barack Obama.
The Pentagon said the tanker will return to Libya under the control of sailors from the USS Stout. North Korea says it has nothing to do with the ship.
The vessel, whose ownership remains a mystery, sparked political tension in Libya after it sailed away with a cargo worth more than $30 million from the port of al-Sidra despite government attempts to seize it.
The Parliament, which had a long rivalry with then-Prime Minister Ali Zidan, used the crisis to vote him out, saying it had underlined his weakness.
