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Libyan soldiers killed in Benghazi bombings and clashes | Libyan soldiers killed in Benghazi bombings and clashes |
(about 11 hours later) | |
At least 29 Libyan soldiers have been killed in two car bombings and clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi. | |
Some 60 troops were wounded in the violence near Benghazi airport, medics and military sources say. | Some 60 troops were wounded in the violence near Benghazi airport, medics and military sources say. |
Libya has seen fierce fighting between rival militias that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. | Libya has seen fierce fighting between rival militias that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. |
In Benghazi, special army forces allied to former general Khalifa Haftar have been battling armed Islamist groups who control most of the city. | |
Thursday's bombings targeted a checkpoint near the city's Benina airport, which has been shut down since May. | |
The Islamist militias have already overrun army bases in the area, making the airport one of the last sites still under the control of Gen Haftar. | The Islamist militias have already overrun army bases in the area, making the airport one of the last sites still under the control of Gen Haftar. |
The forces are part of Benghazi's Shura Revolutionary Council, a body set up after they took control of Benghazi in August. | |
Military sources told the Associated Press that Haftar-allied forces launched air strikes in a bid to stop the militants taking over the airport on Thursday. | Military sources told the Associated Press that Haftar-allied forces launched air strikes in a bid to stop the militants taking over the airport on Thursday. |
Gen Haftar was previously head of the Libyan army under Gaddafi before he was sacked in 1987. | |
He joined the anti-Gaddafi uprising in 2011, and earlier this year launched a campaign against what he says are hardline groups in Benghazi. | |
Hundreds of people are believed to have died in a recent upsurge of unrest in Libya, while thousands have fled their homes to escape the violence. | |
Human Rights Watch says more than 250 people have been killed in Benghazi and Derna alone this year. | |
More than three years after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, Libya's police and army remain weak in comparison with the militias, who control large parts of the country. | More than three years after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, Libya's police and army remain weak in comparison with the militias, who control large parts of the country. |
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