(Reuters) - At least 18 people were wounded in two car bomb explosions that targeted a military unit in Libya's eastern coastal city of Derna, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky, a medical source and residents told Reuters early on Sunday.

Residents said the car bombs targeted a military unit called Bulahati belonging to the eastern forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city center.

"We heard the first explosion, but we thought it was fireworks, then we heard the second," one resident told Reuters by telephone.

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"We found people around the Bulahati military unit and there was huge black smoke in the sky," another added. "We then discovered it was car bombs."

Derna, once a jihadist bastion, is about 292 km (182 miles) distant from Libya's second city, Benghazi, and was declared to be under the complete control of Khalifa Haftar's LNA in June 2018.

After the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, militant groups Al Qaeda and Islamic State have used the oil-rich country as a base for attacks, exploiting its chaos and lack of security. </s> Residents said the car bombs targeted a military unit called Bulahati belonging to the eastern forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city center.

“We heard the first explosion, but we thought it was fireworks, then we heard the second,” one resident told Reuters by telephone.

“We found people around the Bulahati military unit and there was huge black smoke in the sky,” another added. “We then discovered it was car bombs.”

Derna, once a jihadist bastion, is about 292 km (182 miles) distant from Libya’s second city, Benghazi, and was declared to be under the complete control of Khalifa Haftar’s LNA in June 2018.

After the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, militant groups Al Qaeda and Islamic State have used the oil-rich country as a base for attacks, exploiting its chaos and lack of security. </s> A car bombing in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi killed two United Nations staff on Saturday, a security official said.

"Two members of the UN mission, one them a foreigner, were killed and at least eight others wounded including a child, by a car bomb" in a shopping area of the Al-Hawari district, the official said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which happened as a UN convoy was passing through the area.

Benghazi, Libya's second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.

An attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

In 2017, military strongman Khalifa Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a three-year battle.

Haftar, who backs an eastern-based administration that opposes the Tripoli-based unity government, went on to seize Derna, the last city in eastern Libya outside his control.

But bombings and kidnappings have continued.

A May 2018 attack left seven people dead and last month, a car bombing at the funeral of an ex-army commander killed at least four people and wounded more than 30 others.

A Libyan lawmaker is also feared to have been abducted by an armed group in the eastern city, the UN and lawmakers said in July.

Haftar controls most of eastern Libya, and early this year he ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called "terrorist groups and criminals".

On the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

The LNA on Saturday announced a truce around Tripoli for the three-day Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, after the unity government conditionally accepted a ceasefire called for by the UN. </s> Derna [Libya], Jun 2 (ANI): Around 18 people were injured after two bomb-laden cars exploded near the headquarters of the Libyan National Army (LNA) here, according to local media reports on Sunday.

This comes as more than 90,000 people have been displaced ever since the armed conflict between Khalifa Haftar-led army and UN-backed government broke out in Tripoli on April 12.

Fighting broke out after the Khalifa Haftar-led LNA launched their offensive to retake Tripoli, which is controlled by forces backed by the UN-backed interim government known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), according to Sputnik.

Libya has been largely divided into two factions ever since the death of its dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The LNA-backed parliament controls the east of Libya, while the UN-backed GNA governs Libya's western region from Tripoli.

While the US government has primarily backed the GNA which is led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, American diplomats and military officers have maintained contacts with Russia backed Haftar.

Most of the international community has urged for a peaceful resolution to the intense fighting which has ensued in the African nation.

Over 450 people have lost their lives, while 2,100 others have been injured ever since the in-fighting began, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). (ANI) </s> Benghazi - A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 15, a hospital said.

A security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa Al Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya’s ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The Benghazi Medical Centre said the blast in a cemetery left three dead and 15 wounded, without specifying whether the victims were civilian or military.

Al Jala, another hospital in the city, said it was treating wounded but did not specify the number.

Benghazi, Libya’s second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Gaddafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.

An attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

The last attack in Benghazi was in May 2018 and left seven people dead.

He went on to seize Derna, the only city in eastern Libya outside his control.

In early 2019, Haftar ordered his Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called “terrorist groups and criminals”.

On the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

Fighting on Tripoli’s outskirts has since killed 1,048 people, including 106 civilians, and left 5,558 wounded, including 289 civilians, according to a report released Tuesday by the UN’s World Health Organisation. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya: A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 15, a hospital said.

A security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa al-Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya´s ousted leader Moamer Qaddafi.

The Benghazi Medical Centre said the blast in a cemetery left three dead and 15 wounded, without specifying whether the victims were civilian or military. Al-Jala, another hospital in the city, said it was treating wounded but did not specify the number.

Benghazi, Libya´s second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall. An attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The last attack in Benghazi was in May 2018 and left seven people dead. In 2017, Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a brutal three-year battle. He went on to seize Derna, the only city in eastern Libya outside his control. </s> A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least four people and wounding more than 30 others, hospitals said.

A security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa al-Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya's ousted leader Moamer Kadhafi.

The Mediterranean city's hospitals, giving a revised casualty toll of four dead and 33 wounded, said two of those killed were civilians.

The other two were special forces members, Haftar's spokesman General Ahmad al-Mesmari, who was among the mourners at the funeral, told a press conference.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Benghazi, Libya's second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.

An attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

The last attack in Benghazi in May 2018 left seven people dead.

In 2017, Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a brutal three-year battle.

He went on to seize Derna, the last city in eastern Libya outside his control.

In early 2019, Haftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called "terrorist groups and criminals".

On the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

Fighting on Tripoli's outskirts has since killed 1,048 people, including 106 civilians, and left 5,558 wounded, including 289 civilians, according to a report released Tuesday by the UN's World Health Organization. </s> The second-in-command of eastern Libyan military forces says he survived a car-bomb attack against his motorcade in the eastern capital of Benghazi. The attack comes amid uncertainty about the health of the top eastern Libya commander, General Khalifa Hafter

Saudi news channel al-Ikhbariya showed video of the site of the attack against General Abdel Razzaq Nazouri's vehicle in Benghazi

Nazouri, the number two commander for the eastern Libya forces, told Arab media he escaped the car-bomb unscathed and there were no casualties. He added his troops continue military operations against militants in the eastern coastal city of Derna.

Speculation continues to swirl over the fate of Nazouri's boss, Army Commander General Khalifa Hafter, who is reportedly in a Paris hospital.



Libyan media reported the general was transferred from his headquarters in eastern Libya to Jordan about a week ago, then flown to France for treatment.

His military spokesman denies Hafter has any serious health issues.

Nazouri also says Hafter is expected to return from abroad, shortly.

Al Haweily tells Arab media he thinks there is a struggle for succession inside the military forces loyal to Hafter, now that his health is deteriorating. 

 

 Eastern Libyan political and military leaders have denied such reports.

University of Paris Professor Khattar Abou Diab said the uncertainty about Hafter has added confusion to the political and military situation in eastern Libya.

He says the attack against Hafter's top commander looks like an effort by Islamist forces in Tripoli to regain control over the east of the country. That, he stresses, is a serious blow to the battle against terrorism in the east of the country and threatens the security of Libya's large eastern neighbor, Egypt.

Hafter's forces are battling militants in Derna, which is close to the Egyptian border. Cairo, which launched airstrikes against Derna several years ago, complains militants there use the town as a stepping stone for attacking Egypt. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The self-styled Libyan National Army says it captured one of Egypt's most wanted militants Monday in a raid in an eastern Libyan town long known to be a stronghold of radical Islamists.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the LNA, which is allied with authorities in eastern Libya, said Hisham el-Ashmawi was captured in an "operation" in Derna.

A Twitter account run by LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mosmari published a mugshot of el-Ashmawi with a bloodied face. The image matches photos of el-Ashmawi widely used by Egyptian media. Another photo posted on social media shows him receiving medical aid.

A third photo purportedly showed el-Ashmawi's Egyptian army ID, which bore a photo of him in uniform with the rank of major.

The Libyan National Army is led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who is backed by Egypt, but it was not immediately clear whether el-Ashmawi's capture was a joint operation. Libya is split between rival governments in the east and in the capital, Tripoli, each of which is backed by an array of militias.

The LNA drove militants out of Derna earlier this year, but pockets of resistance remain in the Mediterranean coastal city. Egypt has in the past launched airstrikes in Derna on the grounds that militants there are linked to attacks in Egypt.

There has been no word from Egypt on the militant's capture, which would mark a major victory against Islamic extremists waging an insurgency that is centered in the north of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is likely to seek his extradition to stand trial.

Later on Monday, the LNA said el-Ashmawi was wearing an explosives belt at the time of his capture, but did not have time to detonate it.

El-Ashmawi is a former Egyptian army officer who served in the special forces before his dismissal in 2011. His dismissal followed a military trial in which he was accused of spreading radical Islamic ideas.

According to Egyptian authorities, he is believed to have been behind a 2013 assassination attempt against Egypt's then-Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and several deadly ambushes of security forces in Egypt's Western Desert, near the Libyan border.

A military court sentenced him to death last year in absentia following his conviction on terror charges.

Egyptian authorities believe el-Ashmawi, who is 40, made his way to Syria in 2013, where he briefly joined militants fighting forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. He is also believed to have joined the militants in Sinai, who are now led by a local branch of the Islamic State group.

In an audio recording released in 2015 that is believed to be authentic, el-Ashmawi allied himself with the Islamic State group's rival, al-Qaida, led by Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahri.

Egyptian military officials at the time said el-Ashmawi was a suspect in the July 11, 2015 bombing outside the Italian Consulate in Cairo, which killed a bystander. He is also named as a suspect in the killing of Egypt's chief prosecutor that year, the first successful assassination since the 1981 killing of President Anwar Sadat. Sadat's assassins were military officers who became militants.
Two car bombs targeting a unit of the Libyan National Army injure 18 people in the city center of Derna, Libya.