Armed Clashes Erupt between Rival Militias in Libya’s Tripoli Amid Political Standoff (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Intense fighting erupted in the Libyan capital overnight and lasted until Saturday morning, with rival militias exchanging heavy gunfire and the sounds of several loud blasts ricocheting around the city.
Pictures and videos shared online of the city center showed military vehicles speeding through the streets, fighters shooting and local residents trying to douse fires.
Militias affiliated with the commander Haitham al-Tajouri fought with armed groups affiliated with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Gheniwa”.
According to witnesses, the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade, led by al-Tajouri, managed to defeat al-Kikli’s militias, take control of the internal security headquarters on al-Jamahiriya Street, seize dozens of cars, and detain three people.
Oil-rich Libya has been wracked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed former autocrat president Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The country was split by rival administrations, one in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar and a UN-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli in the west.
Each side is supported by different militias and foreign powers.
Al-Kikli supports Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the transitional government in Tripoli, while al-Tajouri backs Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister who was appointed as a rival prime minister by the country’s-east based parliament, and is now operating a separate administration out of the city of Sirte.
Local media reported Saturday that the coastal road linking the cities of al-Khoms and Zlitan was closed in anticipation of the movement of forces affiliated with Bashagha from Misrata toward Tripoli.
The United Nations mission in the country warned this week against any attempt to resolve the dispute through violence.
