Libya armed group leader among dead in Tripoli clashes
TRIPOLI: Overnight clashes in Libya's capital killed at least six people, an emergency medical service said Tuesday, with local media reporting that an armed group leader was among the dead. Heavy arms fire and explosions were heard in several areas of Tripoli from 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday as violent clashes between rival armed groups rocked the capital. "Six bodies have been retrieved from the sites of clashes around Abu Salim" in Tripoli, the Emergency Medicine and Support Centre said.
Reports said Abdelghani Al-Kikli, leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA) which controls the southern district of Abu Salim, was killed, with unverified images of his body circulating on social media. The reports said he was shot at a base of the rival 444 Brigade while attending a meeting for mediation.
Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui said on social media that Kikli was likely ambushed at the base, citing a relative of the SSA leader. Harchaoui described Kikli as one of Tripoli's "most successful armed group leaders", with an "ability to outmanoeuvre Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah". The 444 Brigade, which controls other parts of southern Tripoli, is aligned with Dbeibah.
Harchaoui said this would mean a "territorial reshuffle" in the capital, with the 444 Brigade seizing areas formerly controlled by the SSA. Libya is struggling to recover from years of unrest following the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The North African country is currently divided between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Dbeibah and a rival administration in the east, controlled by the Haftar family.
TRIPOLI: Libyan security forces stand guard outside a police building that they recaptured following overnight clashes in the southern district of Abu Salim in the capital Tripoli on May 13, 2025. — AFP photos
'Security and stability'
Authorities had urged residents to stay indoors before saying several hours later that the fighting had been brought under control. The Tripoli-based government on Tuesday said a "military operation" to restore "security and stability" in the capital had been successful. An AFP photographer saw men in fatigues and armored vehicles deployed in the city's main roads. Dbeibah, in a post on X, thanked government forces "for restoring security and asserting the state's authority in the capital".
He later announced that several bodies previously run by the SSA would be dissolved or seized. He also said Lotfi Al-Harari, long seen as Kikli's right-hand man, would be replaced by Mostafa Al-Waheshi as head of the Internal Security Agency. "What was accomplished today shows that official institutions are capable of protecting the homeland and preserving the dignity of its citizens," Dbeibah said on X.
Despite relative calm in Libya in recent years, clashes periodically break out between armed groups vying for territory. In August 2023, fighting between two powerful armed groups in Tripoli left 55 dead. Authorities in several parts of the capital said schools would be closed on Tuesday until further notice. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya called for calm and urged "all parties to immediately cease fighting", warning that "attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes". "UNSMIL fully supports the efforts of elders and community leaders to de-escalate the situation," it said on X. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
7 hours ago
- Arab Times
Gang violence displaced record 1.3 million people in Haiti, UN report finds
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 12, (AP): Gang violence has displaced a record 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle to contain the spiraling crisis, according to a new report released Wednesday. The UN's International Organization for Migration warned of a 24% increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen now having chased 11% of Haiti's nearly 12 million inhabitants from their home. Much of the gang violence remains centered in Port-au-Prince, but more than 230,000 people alone have been left homeless as gunmen continue to lay siege in the two largest regions north of the capital, officials said. "We need to act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge,' Amy Pope, IOM's director general, said in a statement. The number of makeshift shelters also has skyrocketed by more than 70%, from 142 to 246, with much of the increase reported in Haiti's once peaceful central region. The IOM noted that for the first time, regions outside Port-au-Prince have more shelters than the capital, given the ongoing violence in towns like Mirebalais and Petite Rivière. Overall, more than 80% of those displaced are staying with friends or family, although in Port-au-Prince, the majority of those displaced are staying in crowded and unsanitary makeshift shelters that include abandoned government buildings. "Many now face life without access to health care, schools, and clean water, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive,' according to the IOM. Hours after the report was released, officials with the UN, the Inter American Development Bank and Haiti's government and civil society gathered behind closed doors to talk about the situation. "The crisis…is only getting worse,' Bob Rae, president of the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council, said ahead of the meeting. He and other officials said it's not enough to only tackle Haiti's security crisis. Gangs that control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince are recruiting a growing number of children in the deeply impoverished country.
Kuwait Times
15 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Vietnam scraps two-child limit as birth rate declines
Declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development HANOI: Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate. The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family's size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam News Agency said. The country has experienced historically low birth rates in the last three years. The total fertility rate dropped to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below replacement level, the ministry of health said this year. Birth rates have fallen from 2.11 children per woman in 2021, to 2.01 in 2022 and 1.96 in 2023. This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cost of living rises. Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, told AFP that the government regulation mattered little to her as she had no plans to have children. 'Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child.' Sex imbalance Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, speaking at a conference earlier this year, warned it was increasingly difficult to encourage families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns. She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including an ageing population and workforce shortages. She urged society to shift its mindset from focusing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development. Vietnam is also grappling with sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. On Tuesday the ministry of health proposed tripling the current fine to $3,800 'to curb foetal gender selection', according to state media. It is forbidden to inform parents of the sex of their baby before birth in Vietnam, as well as to perform an abortion for sex-selection reasons, with penalties imposed on clinics who break the law. The sex ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, has three children but received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest, due to the two-child policy. 'It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban,' she said, but added that 'raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly.' 'Only brave couples and those better-off would do so. I think the authorities will even have to give bonuses to encourage people to have more than two children.' Vietnam's neighbor China ended its own strict 'one-child policy', imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation, in 2016 and in 2021 permitted couples to have three children. But as in many countries, the soaring cost of living has proved a drag on birth rates and the moves have failed to reverse China's demographic decline - its population fell for the third year in a row in 2024. — AFP
Arab Times
20 hours ago
- Arab Times
U.S. to Partially Evacuate Embassy in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq
WASHINGTON, June 11: The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its embassy in Baghdad and has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from several locations across the Middle East, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources. The move comes in response to escalating security concerns in the region, though officials did not specify the exact nature of the threats. The U.S. State Department has yet to issue a formal comment, but reports of the impending evacuation have already impacted global markets, pushing oil prices higher. Brent crude rose by $3, reaching $69.18 per barrel following the news. President Joe Biden has recently expressed frustration over faltering negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program. On Wednesday, he said he was increasingly doubtful that Tehran would agree to cease uranium enrichment — a central U.S. demand in the talks. Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that Iran would retaliate against American military bases in the region if talks collapsed and U.S. forces launched any attacks. The United States maintains a significant military footprint in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military family members from installations across the region. One U.S. official noted that the directive particularly affects dependents stationed in Bahrain, home to a large concentration of American personnel. 'The State Department is preparing an ordered departure of U.S. personnel from the Baghdad embassy,' a senior official confirmed. 'While the plan is to conduct the evacuation through commercial channels, U.S. military support is available if needed.' An Iraqi foreign ministry official confirmed the move, describing it as a 'partial evacuation' driven by "potential security concerns related to regional tensions." Despite the developments in Iraq, another U.S. official stated that operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest American military base in the region — remain unaffected. No evacuation orders have been issued for embassy staff or their families in Qatar, and the mission continues to operate normally. Wider Security Implications The evacuation news comes amid growing unease over maritime security. Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom's maritime security agency issued an alert, warning that heightened tensions in the Middle East could spark military confrontations affecting major shipping lanes. It advised caution for vessels transiting the Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz — all strategic waterways bordering Iran. Iraq finds itself in a delicate position, maintaining close ties with both Washington and Tehran. The country hosts around 2,500 U.S. troops and also includes powerful Iran-backed militias within its broader security apparatus. Tensions in Iraq have steadily intensified since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October 2023. Iran-aligned militant groups in Iraq have carried out repeated attacks on U.S. forces, further straining the already volatile security environment.
