Escalating clashes between militia groups near Tripoli have killed at least 13 fighters in the past four days, amid growing concerns about rivalries between the heavily armed rebels who control overlapping areas in and around the Libyan capital, The Washington Post reports.
The fighting was the most recent in a string of deadly confrontations among those who fought to overthrow Gaddafi’s government and still have ready access to weapons. In Tripoli, where the police force is not fully functioning, brigades from a variety of tribes and regions control different parts of the city.
Even though the government says that riots in the western city of Zawiyah and on the territory controlled by the Wershfanna tribe have effectively been suppressed, sporadic firefights are still being reported.
Libya has been sinking into chaos since Muammar Gaddafi’s death in October with NTC commanders jockeying for power.
Residents of the capital Tripoli and other cities have repeatedly taken to the streets demanding an end to widespread looting and marauding by NTC fighters and criminal gangs.
The Voice of Russia
