Libya faces weekend of violence
Sunday 04 November 2012
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Email"Liberated" Libya was rocked by bombs and street battles today hours after an armed siege of parliament ended.
Civilians fled in fear in the capital Tripoli as rival militias fought around one of their bases in the southern district of Sidi Khalifa.
Five people were wounded and a bullet tore through nearby Tripoli Central Hospital during the battle between two officially endorsed "security" forces trading salvos including rocket-propelled grenades.
To the east in Benghazi, where the Western-backed overthrow of the Gadaffi regime began, a bomb blast tore through the entrance of the central police station and left three officers injured.
It is not known who carried out the attack.
The weak government has blamed former Gadaffi supporters for previous bombs, but there is also an active Islamist presence in the country.
today's violence came a matter of hours after dozens of armed militiamen ended a 72-hour siege and occupation of the Tripoli parliament building over a new government including ministers with "long ties with Gadaffi."
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