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LIBYA-UNREST-TRIPOLI
Truce reached after deadly clashes in Libyan capital
TRIPOLI, Aug 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A truce has been reached after deadly
clashes erupted between rival militias in Tripoli, a security source said
Tuesday as residents reported calm had returned to Libyan capital.
Five people were killed and 33 wounded on Monday, the health ministry
said, as two factions faced off with tanks and pickup trucks mounted with
machine guns.
After explosions and gunfire rocked Tripoli’s suburbs, a truce was reached
on Monday evening according to a source from the security services.
Negotiations were due to take place on Tuesday aimed at achieving a
lasting ceasefire, the source added.
A resident of the Ain Zara neighbourhood in south-east Tripoli confirmed
calm had returned to the area.
Other residents in the Salaheddin and Khallet al-Ferjan neighbourhoods, in
southern Tripoli, said the fighting had ended although some roads remained
closed to traffic.
The clashes involved two rival groups linked to the UN-backed Government
of National Accord (GNA), according to security sources.
Interior Minister Abdessalam Ashour said the fighting pitted the so-called
7th Brigade — a militia from the town of Tarhuna southeast of Tripoli —
against security forces.
The 7th Brigade, which operates under the GNA’s defence ministry, said it
had repelled an attack on its positions in southeast Tripoli.
Since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted in 2011, the Libyan capital has
been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups.
The GNA has been unable to form its own army and has instead relied on
militias to secure the capital.
Last year pro-government militias succeeded in driving numerous rival
groups from Tripoli, resulting in a fall in violent confrontations in the
city.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1742 hrs