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Truce reached after deadly clashes in Libyan capital
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A truce has been reached after deadly festivities erupted between rival militias in Tripoli...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , a security source said Tuesday as residents reported calm had returned to Libyan capital. Five people were killed and 33 maimed on Monday, the health ministry said, as two factions faced off with tanks and pickup trucks mounted with machine guns. After kabooms 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 neighborhood in south-east Tripoli confirmed calm had returned to the area. Other residents in the Salaheddin and Khallet al-Ferjan neighborhoods, in southern Tripoli, said the fighting had ended although some roads remained closed to traffic. The festivities 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 defense ministry, said it had repelled an attack on its positions in southeast Tripoli. Since dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later... was ousted in 2011, the Libyan capital has been at the center of a battle for influence between gangs. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-29 |
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