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Militias clash in the centre of Libyan capital Tripoli Militias clash in the centre of Libyan capital Tripoli
(about 1 hour later)
Clashes have erupted in the centre of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.Clashes have erupted in the centre of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Residents reported hearing sustained gunfire and seeing casualties, but the scale of the violence is not clear. Residents reported hearing sustained gunfire and seeing casualties.
The clash appears to have been started when a militia tried to take over the building that used to house the intelligence services of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed in October 2011. A BBC reporter saw roads blocked by armed groups and heard occasional volleys of gunfire on his way to the scene of the fight.
According to a BBC reporter at the scene, the fight now seems to be over. It appears to have been started when a militia tried to take over the building that used to house the intelligence services of former leader Muammar Gaddafi killed in October 2011.
Tripoli is still dominated by militias of former rebels from outside the city. The fight now seems to be over, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Tripoli.
Reports suggest the fighting was between a militia which occupied the bombed out building of Col Gaddafi's intelligence services and forces of the new government who tried to evict them. Local sources told the BBC there had been a clash between two brigades, one from the city of Misrata and one from Tripoli, centred on the old intelligence building which was bombed by Nato during last year's uprising, our reporter says.
There is still considerable concern in Libya over the potential for violence represented by the many militias who overthrew Col Gaddafi, correspondents say. The roads quickly reopened once the situation had calmed.
Ex-rebels who remain organised in militia brigades are visible in many parts of the Libyan capital, and some have taken control of former government buildings, using them as headquarters, AFP reports. Some sources are talking of casualties, but the interior ministry has so far declined to confirm this, saying only that an official press release will be circulated later in the day.
In the absence of a national army or police force, armed brigades of former rebels still wield significant power here and control different parts of the country, our reporter says.
There have been sporadic clashes between the groups in recent weeks, but the government has now begun a slow process of integrating them into new centralised structures to try to bring stability.