Libyan troops struggling to establish
control across the country clashed with militants in the eastern city of
Benghazi on Monday and at least nine people were killed in the
fighting, according to city officials.
Still in training, Libya’s new military
faces a challenge from Islamist militants and militias who fought in the
uprising against Muammar Gaddafi but refuse to disarm and control parts
of the country, Reuters reports.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard in
Benghazi and thick smoke rose from the Ras Obeida area. The army ordered
residents to stay off the city streets and recalled troops on leave to
their units in the city.
Fighting broke out when an army special
forces unit pursued a suspect into an area where Islamist militant group
Ansar al-Sharia operates its own checkpoints, Benghazi city security
officials said.
At least nine people were killed and 49 wounded in the gun battles, the Tripoli government said in a statement
Ansar al-Sharia was blamed for the attack
on the US consulate in Benghazi a year ago when the US ambassador and
three other Americans were killed.
The chaos in Libya is worrying its
neighbors and the Western powers who backed the uprising that led to the
fall of Gaddafi two years ago.
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, who was
briefly abducted by a militia last month, met US Secretary of State John
Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London on Sunday
to discuss cooperation.
Rival militia groups withdrew from
Tripoli last week after clashes killed more than 40 people during a
march to one of the militia bases to demand they leave the capital city.
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