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dpa
Benghazi
Four people were killed in three back-to-back explosions during the funeral of an ex-military commander in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, an army official said.
Twenty-six others were injured in the blasts that took place during the funeral of major general Khalifa al-Mesmari at the Hawary cemetery in Benghazi.
Wanis Bukhamada, a senior commander in the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), was attending the funeral at the time of the attack, witnesses said. Bukhamada, who heads the LNA Special Forces, survived unharmed, they added.
The dead included two military personnel and two civilians, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said at a televised press conference in Benghazi.
He did not say what had caused the blasts, which he blamed on a rival government backed by the United Nations and is based in the capital Tripoli. So far, there has been no claim of responsibility. Initially, witnesses said the attack was caused by a parked car bomb.
Television footage from the site showed that several cars had been damaged by the powerful explosion. The attack came as LNA forces commanded by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar are pursuing a campaign initiated in April to seize Tripoli.
The fighting over Tripoli has since descended into a stalemate and displaced thousands of civilians.
Benghazi was the birthplace of a 2011 revolt that toppled Libya’s long-time dictator Moamer Gaddafi.
As a result of the ensuing civil war, the city slipped into chaos and was at times controlled by an alliance of Islamist militants. In 2017, Haftar’s loyalists took over the city.
Last year, at least 33 people were killed in twin car bombings that struck close to a mosque in Benghazi.
Benghazi
Four people were killed in three back-to-back explosions during the funeral of an ex-military commander in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, an army official said.
Twenty-six others were injured in the blasts that took place during the funeral of major general Khalifa al-Mesmari at the Hawary cemetery in Benghazi.
Wanis Bukhamada, a senior commander in the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), was attending the funeral at the time of the attack, witnesses said. Bukhamada, who heads the LNA Special Forces, survived unharmed, they added.
The dead included two military personnel and two civilians, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said at a televised press conference in Benghazi.
He did not say what had caused the blasts, which he blamed on a rival government backed by the United Nations and is based in the capital Tripoli. So far, there has been no claim of responsibility. Initially, witnesses said the attack was caused by a parked car bomb.
Television footage from the site showed that several cars had been damaged by the powerful explosion. The attack came as LNA forces commanded by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar are pursuing a campaign initiated in April to seize Tripoli.
The fighting over Tripoli has since descended into a stalemate and displaced thousands of civilians.
Benghazi was the birthplace of a 2011 revolt that toppled Libya’s long-time dictator Moamer Gaddafi.
As a result of the ensuing civil war, the city slipped into chaos and was at times controlled by an alliance of Islamist militants. In 2017, Haftar’s loyalists took over the city.
Last year, at least 33 people were killed in twin car bombings that struck close to a mosque in Benghazi.
