Militia groups clash in Libya’s Tripoli, seven reported dead

IS making ‘last stand’ in Libyan city: Pentagon

TRIPOLI, Dec 2, (Agencies): Rival militias clashed in Tripoli on Thursday leaving at least seven people dead, Libyan media said, as AFP journalists reported hearing gunshots and explosions in the south of the capital.

Tanks, trucks and heavy weapons were seen on the streets but the cause of the conflict was not immediately clear.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the death toll.

Tripoli is controlled by a loose alliance of militias of different political and religious factions, and clashes between them are an almost daily occurrence.

Five years after Libya’s 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Muammer Gaddafi, the country is embroiled in violence and political chaos as the militias and two rival governments vie for power.

A UN-backed Government of National Accord took up office in March with the hopes of re-establishing central power and stemming a jihadist threat from the Islamic State group.

It was intended to replace the rival administrations but has failed to win a vote of confidence from the parliament in Tobruk while the Tripoli-based GNA considers it illegitimate.

The GNA suffered a fresh setback in October after the rival Government of National Salvation seized key offices in the capital.

Military vehicles were seen mobilising near the Rixos on Thursday and shops in the area closed amid rising tension. Military vehicles including tanks could also be seen in Bab Benghashir and Abu Salim neighbourhoods, while clashes were reported in Abu Salim and Hadba districts.

The city centre was calm but residents were rushing to do shopping and head home before nightfall.

The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying France was “very worried by the escalation of violence between armed groups in Tripoli”.

“(France) is in close contact with (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez Seraj and supports his efforts to restore the authority of the state, especially in Tripoli,” the statement said.

There was also fighting on Thursday in Libya’s second city, Benghazi, where forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar have been waging a military campaign against Islamists and other opponents for more than two years.

Meanwhile, Islamic State group jihadists are making a “last stand” in their former Libyan stronghold of Sirte, where they now control only around two blocks, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The IS group had held all of the Mediterranean port city as recently as early this summer, establishing a significant foothold in Libya.

The United States started a bombing campaign in August at the request the UN-supported Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to help local forces recapture the city more than a year after the IS group seized it.

Although the operation has taken months longer than initially expected, it has pushed back the group’s control to around 50 buildings.

The remaining jihadists are few in number “but they are persistent and fighting to the death,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said. “It’s a stubborn area.”

“This is ISIL’s last stand in Sirte and they are fighting hard,” he added, using another acronym for the IS group.

The fall of Sirte — the hometown of the slain dictator Gaddafi located 450 kms (280 miles) east of Tripoli — would represent a significant blow to the jihadists, who have also faced a series of setbacks and major assaults in Syria and Iraq.

US warplanes, drones and helicopters have conducted 467 strikes since the air operation began on Aug 1.

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and its contingent of aircraft, which were involved in earlier strikes, left the region in October and continuing strikes are being conducted by drones.