Four security personnel killed in Libya attack

TRIPOLI: Four security force members were killed in an attack on Thursday on a security checkpoint in western Libya, a local official said. The attack also left four other security personnel injured at the checkpoint, which is located between the cities of Zliten and Khoms, Zliten Mayor Meftah Hamadi said.

“The time of the attack was bad because it happened during Eid al Adha,” Hamadi said, referring to a current major festival that started in Libya on Tuesday.

He added that some security guards were asleep at the time of the attack.

There were conflicting reports about the number of attackers.

Hamadi said the attack had been carried out by a lone assailant, who was killed in an ensuing exchange of gunfire with security forces.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry said several gunmen were involved in the attack and that one of them was killed in a gun battle while the rest escaped. The ministry added, according to Libya’s official news agency LNA, that the attack left four dead and seven others injured — all security force members.

So far, there has been no claim of responsibility for the attack,which authorities are calling an act of terrorism.

A witness said by phone that the attack was carried out by a lone gunman, whom he believes to be linked to the IS militant group.

Libya has descended into chaos since 2011 uprising. The country is split between two rival governments: one in the capital Tripoli and the other in the eastern city of Tobruk. Each is backed by rival militias.

IS took advantage of Libya’s anarchy in order to expand in the country. In late 2016, the group was expelled from its stronghold in Sirte after a US-backed campaign. However, IS hardliners are believed to be active in Libya’s desert areas.

— dpa