LIBYA: 11 DEAD IN ATTACK ON POLL BUILDING

TRIPOLI:SUICIDE bombers stormed the head offices of Libya’s electoral commission in Tripoli on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people and setting fire to the building in an attack claimed by the Islamic State.

The assailants also opened fire on employees of the High National Election Commission (HNEC) and fought a gun battle with security forces trying to regain control of the site, officials said.

The attack appeared aimed at derailing efforts to organise elections in Libya by the end of this year, part of a Un-led attempt to unify and stabilise the country after years of conflict and political division.

Since December the electoral commission has registered nearly one million new voters across Libya, though no date has been set for polls.

Wednesday’s attack was the first of its kind in Tripoli since 2015. Though security across Libya remains volatile, violence in the capital has recently been limited to localised clashes between armed groups.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Amaq, its news agency.

The health ministry said 12 people had been confirmed killed and seven wounded. Most of the victims were HNEC staff, with at least two security personnel also killed, interior minister Abdulsalam Ashour told a press conference.

The fire blackened the building, though HNEC head Emad al-sayah said the electoral database was safe. “This breach targeted democracy, not just the HNEC,” Sayah told reporters. “The choice and future of Libyans were targeted.”