Clashes between rival Libyan militias fighting for international airport kill 47 people
lashes between rival Libyan militias fighting for control of the international airport in the capital, Tripoli, have killed 47 people over the past 24 hours, Libya's Health Ministry said. ABC News reported.
The ministry said on its website late Sunday that the fighting also left 120 people wounded. It also said it had not yet received the full casualty report.
The weeklong battle over the airport is being waged by a powerful militia from the western city of Zintan, which controls the facility, and Islamist-led militias, including fighters from Misrata, east of Tripoli. The clashes resumed Sunday after cease-fire efforts failed.
Television footage broadcast Sunday showed a mortar shell striking a Libyan Arab Airlines plane and a column of black smoke billowing from inside the airport, which has been closed since last Monday.Libyan government officials and activists have increasingly been targeted in the violence.
The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said last week it was temporarily withdrawing its staff because of the deteriorating security situation.