Main PageHeavy fighting hits Libya's Benghazi
Benghazi - Troops loyal to Libya's internationally
backed government launched a new offensive to
seize the extremist-held city of Benghazi, as
witnesses saw corpses on the streets Sunday and
ambulances racing by.
Information over what was happening in Benghazi,
Libya's second-largest city, remained unclear,
though a medical official at al-Jalaa hospital, one of
only two working hospitals in the city, said at least 10
people had been killed since Friday.
Benghazi has been held by the Shura Council of
Benghazi Revolutionaries, an umbrella group for the
city's hard-line militias. Those militias include Ansar
al-Shariah, which the US blames for the September
2012 attack on the US Consulate there that killed
Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other
Americans.
Last year, renegade General Khalifa Hifter led a
unilateral offensive against the Benghazi militias. On
15 October, Hifter formally joined ranks with Libya's
elected government. Since then, they say they have
managed to take control of most of the city.
Also read: Car bomb explodes outside luxury
hotel in Libya's Tripoli
Residents said on Sunday that the military took
control of large portions of al-Leiti, a Benghazi
neighbourhood regarded as a major stronghold for
the extremist militias. They said government troops
patrolled the neighbourhood's streets.
An official with the special forces of the elected
government said their campaign began early on
Saturday. He said air forces backed up the ground
troops.
He also said two men in his unit had been killed. He,
as well as the hospital official, spoke on condition of
anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak
to journalists.
The widespread militia violence has plunged Libya
into chaos less than four years after a Nato-backed
uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator
Muammar Gaddafi.
The country's post-Gaddafi transition has collapsed,
with two rival governments and parliaments - each
backed by different militias - ruling in the country's
eastern and western regions.
The elected parliament was never allowed to
properly convene due to a takeover of the capital,
Tripoli, by Islamic and tribal militias. That parliament
has been forced to function in the eastern city of
Tobruk, while the pre-election parliament has
declared itself legitimate and remains in Tripoli.
backed government launched a new offensive to
seize the extremist-held city of Benghazi, as
witnesses saw corpses on the streets Sunday and
ambulances racing by.
Information over what was happening in Benghazi,
Libya's second-largest city, remained unclear,
though a medical official at al-Jalaa hospital, one of
only two working hospitals in the city, said at least 10
people had been killed since Friday.
Benghazi has been held by the Shura Council of
Benghazi Revolutionaries, an umbrella group for the
city's hard-line militias. Those militias include Ansar
al-Shariah, which the US blames for the September
2012 attack on the US Consulate there that killed
Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other
Americans.
Last year, renegade General Khalifa Hifter led a
unilateral offensive against the Benghazi militias. On
15 October, Hifter formally joined ranks with Libya's
elected government. Since then, they say they have
managed to take control of most of the city.
Also read: Car bomb explodes outside luxury
hotel in Libya's Tripoli
Residents said on Sunday that the military took
control of large portions of al-Leiti, a Benghazi
neighbourhood regarded as a major stronghold for
the extremist militias. They said government troops
patrolled the neighbourhood's streets.
An official with the special forces of the elected
government said their campaign began early on
Saturday. He said air forces backed up the ground
troops.
He also said two men in his unit had been killed. He,
as well as the hospital official, spoke on condition of
anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak
to journalists.
The widespread militia violence has plunged Libya
into chaos less than four years after a Nato-backed
uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator
Muammar Gaddafi.
The country's post-Gaddafi transition has collapsed,
with two rival governments and parliaments - each
backed by different militias - ruling in the country's
eastern and western regions.
The elected parliament was never allowed to
properly convene due to a takeover of the capital,
Tripoli, by Islamic and tribal militias. That parliament
has been forced to function in the eastern city of
Tobruk, while the pre-election parliament has
declared itself legitimate and remains in Tripoli.
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