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Libya: 25 Dead, 103 Wounded in 8 Days of Benghazi Fighting

Libya: 25 Dead, 103 Wounded in 8 Days of Benghazi Fighting
folder_openLibya access_time9 years ago
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Local Editor

At least 25 people have been killed and 103 wounded in the past eight days of fighting between pro-government forces and extremist groups in Libya's second city Benghazi, medics said on Thursday.

Libya: 25 Dead, 103 Wounded in 8 Days of Benghazi FightingThat brings the death toll to around 475 since the army and forces led by former general Khalifa Haftar started a campaign against extremists in the port city in mid-October, expelling them from the airport area and seizing back army camps they took over in August.

Police and other government institutions have resumed work in some districts where the army is in control but fighting has continued in the port.
Haftar's warplanes have been bombing the area for weeks, but pro-government forces say Islamists are still holed up in the area.

"We have surrounded them on four sides," said Haftar's spokesman, Mohammed al-Hejazi.
The fighting in Benghazi is only one element of the turmoil sweeping the North African country.

In August, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani and his cabinet were forced to leave Tripoli for the east when a group called Fajr Libya [Libyan Dawn] seized the capital. The new rulers of Tripoli have set up their own administration, the General National Congress [GNC), which has not been recognized by the United Nations and world powers.

The situation has been complicated by the Benghazi fighting, where Haftar has merged his force with the army under a mandate from the elected parliament, which is allied to Thani.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team