Gunmen killed Libya's deputy industry minister as he drove home from a shopping trip in the city of Sirte late on Saturday, in an attack officials blamed on hardline Islamist militants.

Libya is still plagued by violence and assassinations more than two years after civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

The official blamed Islamist militants who have been trying to extend their influence in the coastal city of Sirte, which has been more stable recently than the capital Tripoli or the major eastern city of Benghazi.

Protests at three eastern ports, which usually account for around 600,000 bpd of oil exports, have slashed Libya's oil shipments.

Since protests over the western El-Sharara oilfield ended this month, total crude production has climbed back to around 650,000 bpd, with 510,000 bpd exported and the rest feeding two Libyan refineries, Libya's oil minister said last week.

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