| ABC News | - |
At least 210 people were killed in fighting in Libya's
eastern city of Benghazi since troops loyal to the country's elected
government launched an attempt to re-take the city from Islamist
militias two weeks earlier, a medical official said Sunday.
Over 200 Killed In Fighting Over Libya's BenghaziOver 210 Killed in Fighting Over Libya's Benghazi
At least 210 people were killed in fighting in Libya's eastern city of
Benghazi since troops loyal to the country's elected government launched
an attempt to re-take the city from Islamist militias two weeks
earlier, a medical official said Sunday.
The official would not identify those killed, or say whether they
included government troops, indicating that the battle for control of
Benghazi has not yet been settled.
The turmoil in Benghazi started when renegade Gen. Khalifa Hifter — a
former Gadhafi army chief who joined the opposition decades before the
uprising — launched a campaign against Islamist militias which were
implicated in series of assassinations and attacks on journalists,
activists, and security forces in the city.
Hifter won support among large sectors of Libyans but the army units
loosely allied with him were defeated and forced to leave the city by
Islamist militias.
Then, the internationally recognized government, led by Abdullah
al-Thinni, joined ranks with Hifter and on Oct. 15, launched a wide
offensive to retake the city. Until then, Hifter troops had largely
fought from bases outside the city.
On Sunday, a security official in Benghazi said government troops have
entered a new neighborhood in the city. The official said the troops are
carrying out a wave of arrests against Islamist militias and have
arrested one of their spokesmen.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief reporters.
Libya is witnessing one of the worst spasms of violence since the
downfall of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Powerful militias, who
had fought to bring Gadhafi down, took control of the country,
challenging the authority of central government.
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