LIBYA
Still Simmering
Three suicide bombers hit Libya’s foreign ministry in Tripoli on Tuesday, providing further evidence that the turmoil there is far from over.
First detonating a car bomb and then opening fire on the ministry building, the attackers managed to kill at least three people, Reuters reported. Two managed to get inside before blowing themselves up, while a third was killed by ministry guards.
Interior Minister Fathi Ali Bashagha said the authorities are still trying to ascertain the identity of the assailants, but he hinted that Islamic State could be responsible for the attack. IS claimed responsibility in a statement distributed on social media, accordingto Channel News Asia.
“Security chaos in Libya offers propitious conditions for IS (Islamic State) and other terrorist groups,” Bashagha said at a Tripoli press conference.
Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala called for a partial lifting of the UN arms embargo on Libya to help the country fight such groups.
Though the Government of National Accord set up in 2016 has created a measure of unity, Libya’s still-simmering civil war has allowed militant groups to thrive.
No comments:
Post a Comment