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A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.
A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.

Live Blog: Tracking Islamic State

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Latest News For February 29

-- The United States Army's elite Delta Force is on the verge of beginning operations to target, capture or kill top IS operatives in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an administration official with direct knowledge of the force's activities told CNN.

-- Syrian government forces have regained control of a road used by the army to access Aleppo, after making advances against Islamic State fighters, a monitoring group and state television reported.


-- Authorities in Iraq say the death toll from a double bombing at a market in Baghdad’s Shi’ite neighborhood of Sadr City rose to 73 on February 29 after several critically wounded victims died overnight.

-- Tajik media are reporting that a woman known to be the second wife of Gulmurod Halimov, the fugitive Tajik colonel who defected to the IS group, has left for Syria along with the couple's four young children.

-- The UN is poised to begin delivering aid to people living in besieged areas of Syria, making use of a truce brokered by the United States and Russia. The first deliveries are planned for Feb. 29, with aid due to reach about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days.

-- A truce negotiated between Syrian rebels and the government has caused a dramatic decrease in airstrikes around rebel-held territory, but there were few celebrations, with many residents suspecting a trick, CNN report.

* NOTE: Live blog posts are time-stamped according to Central European Time (CET).

11:17 4.1.2016

Danish analyst Tore Hamming points out that IS's advances against Libyan oil refineries will have "critical implications for Libya's future oil export."

But as Libyan analyst Mohamed Eljarh notes, both of Libya's main oil terminals -- al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf have been closed for more than a year with no exports, even though Libyan employees are still working at both sites.

11:20 4.1.2016

The English-language news site Libya's Channel is reporting that IS is attacking Libya's Oil Crescent, which includes the two oil refinery ports of al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf, from three sides.

11:21 4.1.2016

The Libyan air force has hit an IS convoy close to the al-Sidra oil refinery port, Libya's Channel is reporting.

11:24 4.1.2016

The English-language Libya's Channel says that IS has named its operation to take over the Libyan town of Bin Jawad after Abu Mughira al-Qahtani, who was named leader of IS in Libya in September.

11:31 4.1.2016

The Libya Observer is reporting that the Libyan oil port of al-Sidra, which came under attack from IS militants today, is still under the control of a federalist armed group under the command of Libyan militia leader Ibrahim Jadhran.

Jadhran's Ajdabiya-based Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) has controlled the Gulf of Sirte terminals since late 2011, according to Jane's Intelligence Weekly.

11:37 4.1.2016

Reuters has more on this morning's attack by the IS group on the Libyan oil port of al-Sidra and the clashes between Ibrahim Jadhran's forces and IS militants near the town.

Islamic State militants on Monday clashed with a force guarding Libya's [Sidra] oil port, and fighting continued near the major export terminal, witnesses and troops said.

No official was available to confirm the attack or details of how close the fighting was to the port. But Islamic State tried to attack [Sidra] once before in October last year, setting of a car bomb and raiding a perimeter gate.

11:41 4.1.2016

The current situation in Libya's oil crescent, where IS is clashing with local militias around the oil port of Sidra, is unclear -- but local social media accounts in Sirte are reporting that IS militants have overran the site of the Harouge oil company.

The claims are unconfirmed as yet.

11:43 4.1.2016

This just tweeted by Libya's Channel regarding casualties following IS's attack this morning at the Sidra oil port. These figures have not been officially confirmed.

12:00 4.1.2016

Social media accounts in Libya are reporting a fire in a storage unit at the Harouge crude storage tanks amid clashes between the IS group and local militias in the oil port of Sidra.

12:02 4.1.2016

There are also unconfirmed reports, again by local social media accounts, that an IS suicide bomber blew himself up at the Sidra oil terminal.

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