Heavy fighting in Libya’s Benghazi

At least 16 people killed Niger police seize bomb making tools

BENGHAZI, Libya, Nov 11, (RTRS): At least 16 people have been killed in heavy fighting in the Libyan city of Benghazi between forces allied with the official government and Islamic State fighters, a military commander said on Wednesday.

Benghazi, caught up in fighting for more than a year, is just one front in Libya’s multi-sided war involving two competing governments — an official one in the east and a self-declared one controlling Tripoli — and the loose coalitions of armed factions backing them.

Battles involving air strikes erupted on Tuesday between Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, and militants allied with Islamic State, military spokesman Milad Zwei told Reuters.

“Our special forces are making progress and have recaptured the air defence camp between Mash’hash and Sidi Faraj districts. The camp was captured last year by Islamic State,” he said.

Haftar declared war on Islamist fighters in Benghazi more than a year ago and he was later named commander in chief for the official government. But his campaign has failed to sweep out militants from the city. NIAMEY, Nov 11, (RTRS): Security forces in Niger’s volatile northern region of Agadez have seized large quantities of bomb components being transported in a passenger bus, a local government official said on state- owned radio late on Tuesday.

Police special forces discovered 620 explosives, 41 fuses and 310 electrical cables hidden in the bus during an inspection. In a separate operation, police arrested six bandits and impounded three vehicles as well as firearms, a rocket and military uniforms. A woman shouts anti-President Ghani slogans near the Presidential Palace during an anti government protest in Kabul

on Nov 11. (AP)