TRIPOLI, Dec 25, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Gunfire and at least one explosion
rocked Libya’s foreign ministry on Tuesday as attackers stormed the building
in the capital Tripoli, witnesses and government media said.
The assault was carried out by several “terrorist attackers”, according to
the Libyan unity government’s official TV channel, which cited foreign and
interior ministry sources.
Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the building, witnesses said.
There was no immediate casualty toll or claim of responsibility.
Torn apart by power struggles and undermined by chronic insecurity, Libya
has become a haven for jihadists since the ouster and killing of Moamer
Kadhafi in 2011.
The Islamic State group took advantage of the chaos to gain a foothold in
the coastal city of Sirte in 2015.
Forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) regained
control of the city in December 2016 after eight months of deadly fighting.
Since then, some jihadists have returned to the desert in an attempt to
regroup and reorganise.
In September, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the
headquarters of Libya’s National Oil Company in the heart of Tripoli which
left two dead and 10 wounded.
Four months earlier, it claimed an attack on the electoral commission’s
headquarters which left 14 dead.