LIBYA
Attacking Democracy
Suicide bombers linked to Islamic State on Wednesday hit the headquarters of Libya’s elections commission in an effort to disrupt polls slated to push the troubled country toward stability.
At least 14 people were killed in the attack, Bloomberg reported.
A spokesman for the election commission said the attackers first targeted the security forces guarding the building. Then one guarded the entrance as another “roamed through offices showering people with bullets.” The attackers blew themselves up when police reinforcements arrived, he said.
“This terrorist attack against a key pillar of Libya’s fragile democracy only deepens the United States commitment to support all Libyans as they prepare for credible and secure elections,” the US State Department said in a statement, after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.
The terror group is making a comeback in Libya, even as the United Nations struggles to help other opposing factions lay the groundwork for a new constitution and elections, the agency said. The UN is pushing for votes on both to be held by the end of the year.
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