Tripoli clashes widen overnight in worst fighting this year
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[August 15, 2023]
TRIPOLI (Reuters) -The Libyan capital's most powerful
armed factions battled in several districts overnight and into Tuesday
morning in the city's worst violence this year, raising fears of a wider
escalation.
The death toll from the clashes remains unclear but a medical unit
linked to the Defence Ministry said it had recovered three bodies from
Furnaj, Ain Zara and Tarik Shok districts.
The Health Ministry appealed to citizens to donate blood to help
casualties. Usama Ali, a spokesperson for the ambulance service, said 19
people had been injured and 26 families evacuated from a strife-hit
district.
Dark smoke hung over parts of the city early on Tuesday and the sound of
heavy weapons rattled through the streets, a Reuters journalist in
Tripoli said. Residents and local media reported fighting in different
parts of the capital.
The clashes between the 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force,
which both backed the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) during
brief battles last year, shatter months of relative calm in Tripoli.
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Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising
and it split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions.
An assault by eastern forces on Tripoli, in the west, collapsed in 2020
leading to a ceasefire that has halted most major warfare. Turkey, which
backed the Tripoli government, maintained a military presence in Libya.
However, there has been little progress towards a lasting political
solution to the conflict and on the ground armed factions that have
gained official status and financing continue to wield power.
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Smoke rises amid clashes between armed
factions, in Tripoli, Libya August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Hani Amara
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Last year factions backing a rival government declared by the
eastern-based parliament launched a doomed attempt to oust Dbeibah,
leading to a day of heavy clashes in Tripoli. Sporadic fighting has
also this year rocked the city of Zawiya, west of the capital.
On Monday the Special Deterrence Force, which controls the capital's
Mitiga airport, seized 444 Brigade commander Mahmoud Hamza as he
attempted to travel, a source in the brigade said.
Flights to and from Mitiga have been diverted to Misrata, a city
about 180 km (110 miles) east of Tripoli, airlines and airport
sources said. Clashes erupted near Mitiga late on Monday and early
Tuesday, a Reuters journalist said.
A resident of the Tarik Shok area of southern Tripoli said he could
hear fighting when he went to bed at 1:30 am and more strongly when
he woke up at 7:30 am.
"We can hear heavy gunfire since early morning. My family lives in
the Khalat Furjan area about 7km (4 miles) away and they also hear
clashes," he said.
Footage circulating on social media, which Reuters was unable
immediately to authenticate, showed Tripoli residents blocking roads
with burning tyres.
(Reporting by Reuters Libya newsroom, writing by Angus McDowall,
editing by Angus MacSwan)
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