Suicide attack in eastern Libya, at least 8 killed – security officer

No less than eight people were killed late Thursday in a suicide car bombing of a security barricade in the east of Libya, the second such attack in less than a month, local security and hospital sources said.

A suicide attacker exploded his vehicle at a barricade manned by forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar near the city of Ajdabiya some 840 kilometers (520 miles) from Tripoli, general Fawzi al-Mansouri, a top officer in the local security forces, told AFP.

Eight other people were injured.

“Five people died on arriving at the hospital shortly after the attack,” a source at the city’s public hospital told AFP.

The three other victims died later of their injuries, the source who requested anonymity said.

“There were civilians among the dead and injured,” Mansouri said, adding that no one has yet claimed responsibility.

On March 9, a suicide attack injured three people south of Ajdabiya. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility over the incident.

Despite the loss of its Sirte bastion in northern Libya in December 2016, the IS remains active in the center and south of the country.

The oil-rich North African country has been wracked by chaos since a 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Two authorities – the Tripoli-based unity government and a rival administration in the east – are vying for control of Libya.

Haftar, who opposes a United Nations-backed unity government based in Tripoli, announced the “liberation” of the eastern city of Benghazi last July after a three-year campaign. /kga