Rivals clash in Libya, 31 dead

A Libyan security official says clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi between Islamists and rival fighters loyal to a renegade general have killed 31 on both sides. The official said early on Tuesday that fierce fighting erupted between Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s loyalists and a group of Islamist militias called The Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council started fighting late on Monday. Hifter’s jets pounded Islamists’ positions while militiamen responded with artillery. The hours- long clashes concentrated around the city’s Benina airport. The official says Hifter’s side lost 20 fighters while the militiamen had 11 killed. He says 36 fighters in all were wounded.