Libyan security commander survives assassination attempt (VIDEO)
Libya's Security Directorates Support Agency (DSA) says it has foiled an assassination attempt against its deputy leader, Colonel Ali Al-Jabri, in a neighborhood of Tripoli which has witnessed days of unrest.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night at the densely populated Abu Salim, where Al-Jabri had met with protesters to listen to their demands, the agency said in a statement published on Thursday.
'While Al-Jabri was speaking with the demonstrators, some infiltrating criminals exploited the chaos and the lack of visibility caused by smoke from burning tires to attempt an assassination on Colonel Al-Jabri,' it stated.
The DSA published a video on its official Facebook page showing bullet holes on the vehicle transporting the commander.
The agency, which operates under the Ministry of Interior of the North African country's internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU), has been tasked with securing Abu Salim following the latest wave of violence in the capital.
Clashes erupted in Tripoli on Monday, with gunfire and explosions reported in several areas after the assassination of Abdulghani al-Kikli – widely known as Ghaniwa – who led the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA), a powerful militia group affiliated to the Tripoli-based GNU. He was reportedly shot dead in southern Tripoli on Monday.
Libya has remained fragile since a NATO-backed uprising ousted former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, leading to his execution. Rival factions control different parts of the once-prosperous African country, with rival governments in Tripoli and the city of Tobruk.
On Tuesday, the Tripoli Defense Ministry said it had regained control of flashpoints, but fighting resumed hours later between government forces and fighters from the Special Deterrence Force (Rada). A ceasefire was later declared on Wednesday to 'protect civilians, preserve state institutions, and avoid further escalation.'
No official casualty figures have been released, but media reports suggest that at least six people have been killed in the armed clashes. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) warned the situation could spiral out of control, urging an immediate ceasefire and the creation of safe corridors for civilians in conflict zones.
On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov had met with Libyan ambassador to Moscow Mohammed Maghrawi to discuss a resolution to the crisis.
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