TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Forces loyal to a rogue Libyan
general attacked the country’s parliament Sunday, expanding his eastern
offensive against Islamists into the heart of the country’s capital.
Gunmen detained some 20 lawmakers and officials, authorities said, as
black smoke rose over the parliament.
The violence, three years
after the 2011 civil war that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi,
threatens to further splinter a country dominated by militias.
The
troops of Gen. Khalifa Hifter targeted Islamist lawmakers and
officials, his spokesman Mohammed al-Hegazi told Libya’s al-Ahrar
television station.
Al-Hegazi said Hifter blames the officials for allowing extremists forces to exert considerable influence
in the country.
His
troops struck two Islamists militia bases Friday in Benghazi, the
country’s second-largest city, setting off clashes that killed 70
people, Libya’s Health Ministry said.
"This parliament is what
supports these extremist Islamist entities," al-Hegazi told the station.
"The aim was to arrest these Islamist bodies who wear the cloak of
politics."
Al-Hegazi said Hifter’s forces met resistance from
militias he accused of "holding the country hostage." He called the
parliament the "heart of the crisis" in Libya.
The head of the
parliament, the Islamist-leaning Nouri Abu Sahmein, later told TV
station al-Nabaa that the militias loyal to the parliament and
government have matters "under control."
"Those who plan and plot
such things want to strike here and there to make others feel he has
influence," Abu Sahmein said. "We are not in battle with individuals. We
are carrying out a role that we were elected to do."
Gunfire near
parliament could be heard for kilometers (miles) around. Witnesses said
the attacking forces shelled parliament from the city’s southern edge.
The attackers rode in on trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and
armored vehicles.
Lawmaker Khaled al-Mashri told Libya’s al-Ahrar
television station that gunmen entered the parliament complex, damaged
the building and attempted to detain employees and guards.
An
official with the Libyan Revolution Operation Room, an umbrella group of
militias groups who answer to the interim parliament and are in charge
of the security in the capital, said fighters engaged the attackers but
there were no reports of casualties. He said the attackers also
"kidnapped" some 20 lawmakers and government officials. Gunfire could be
heard on the road to Tripoli’s airport and fire continued after sunset.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists.
Forces loyal to the interim parliament set up checkpoints around the parliament, sending journalists
away.
The
spokesman said the attacking forces are suspected members of the
al-Qaaqaa and Sawaaq militias, the largest in the capital. While they
operate under a government mandate, they back the non-Islamist political
forces.
Al-Qaaqaa posted a statement on its official Facebook
page, saying it attacked parliament with Sawaaq because lawmakers
supported "terrorism."
The two groups previously gave parliament
an ultimatum to dissolve after its mandate expired in February,
threatening to detain lawmakers. They never carried out their threats,
though the parliament vowed to hold elections later this year.
Lawmakers
say security officials evacuated them from the building out of fears it
would be stormed. The security official told The Associated Press that
lawmakers received warnings ahead of the attack that the building would
be assaulted.
Libya’s parliament is divided between Islamist and
non-Islamist. Rival militias, which wield the real power in Libya, have
lined up behind competing political factions.
Recently, Islamists
backed the naming of a new prime minister amid walkouts from the
non-Islamist groups. The new interim prime minister has not yet named a
Cabinet.
Al-Mashri said the attackers wanted to prevent lawmakers from picking a new Cabinet.
"There aim is to destroy an icon democracy elected by the people," he said.
But splits in Libya are also regional and ethnic, with longstanding rivalries between the country’s
eastern and western regions.
Since
Hifter’s offensive in Benghazi began on Friday, many of his supporters
have pushed for him to take action in the capital, Tripoli, complaining
about the country’s ineffective government.
On Saturday, Hifter
said he will press on with his offensive in Benghazi, despite warnings
by the central government that cooperating troops will be tried. They
labelled his moves a coup attempt.
Hifter, who once headed the
army under Gadhafi but defected in the 1980s, had been assigned to help
rebuild the country’s military, but he was removed soon after. He
appeared in an online video in February and proclaimed he intended to
"rescue" the nation. Authorities described also that declaration as a
coup attempt, though he apparently was never arrested.
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Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed to this report.
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