4 killed in Tripoli clashes: Libya's unity gov't

By Waleed Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Four people have been killed in two days of clashes between forces of the UN-backed unity government and a rival administration east of the capital Tripoli, according to the unity government-affiliated health ministry.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said two foreign workers were among the victims, but without unveiling their nationality.

Sporadic clashes were reported on Tuesday between forces of the unity government and the rival salvation government in Gasr Garabulli, 75 kilometers (46 miles) east of Tripoli.

A local security source said the violence erupted as a result of attempts by the salvation government to amass forces in preparation for storming Tripoli.

Libya has been locked in a state of violence and turmoil since 2011, when a bloody popular uprising ended with the ouster and death of former President Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya has remained turbulent, with the country's stark political divisions yielding at least three different seats of government and a host of rival militia groups.