Fresh violence breaks out in Libya’s Benghazi

Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi has witnessed a new wave of clashes between the Libyan army and ultra-conservative militia group al-Ansar Sharia on Saturday, reported Al Arabiya News Channel.

The ongoing fight is taking place in the Ras Obeida district in the suburbs of Benghazi, a day after Libyan forces has reclaimed the largest camps of Islamist forces in the city.

The latest clashes are feared to lead to worsen Benghazi’s death toll – already standing at 110 since renegade general Khalifa Haftar launched on an assault last week supported by the army against the Islamist fighters who seized the capital Tripoli and other parts of Libya in July and set up their own government and parliament.

Gen. Haftar, who was once an army chief under Qaddafi before joining his opponents, called upon Libyans to join his offensive against Islamist militants.

Libya was immediately plunged into war after the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi. Interim governments since then have failed to rebuild a national army and have been forced to rely on armed militias to stand up to Islamist insurgency.

(With AFP, Reuters)