TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya's state-run oil corporation has declared 11 oil fields in the country non-operational after attacks by suspected Islamic State militants, opting for a force majeure clause that exempts the state from contractual obligations. The statement, issued Wednesday night, says that "theft, looting, sabotage and destruction" of the oil fields have been on the rise despite pleas for the authorities to ensure safety of Libya's oil installations. Engulfed in total chaos more than three years since the ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya is bitterly divided between two rival parliaments and governments and a wide array of militias. The militants surrounded the oil field from three sides, exchanged gunfire with the guards and prompted the Tripoli-based government to launch airstrikes, which ultimately failed to stop the assault. The looming oil crisis in Libya came a day after the country's elected government made an urgent appeal to the U.N.