Libya : first clashes between the army and a Salafi group in Benghazi
Violent clashes opposed Monday special forces of the Libyan army and Ansar Al- Sharia , the main Salafist jihadist group in the first confrontation of its kind in Benghazi in eastern Libya , killing at least five people dead and more than twenty wounded .
" A bloody confrontation is taking place between our forces and those of Ansar Al- Sharia since the early hours " of the day , said Colonel Al- Zwei Miloud spokesman Special Forces . According to Al -Jala hospital in Benghazi , four soldiers and a civilian were killed and 23 people injured, including ten civilians. The army has declared a state of alert and called on all soldiers to join their units , said a security official . We know the number of victims on the side of Ansar al- Sharia , whose members treat their wounded in a clinic they control for the moment.
The clashes erupted after a patrol special forces was near the headquarters of Ansar Al- Sharia was targeted by an attack , said Colonel Zwei . "The army retaliated , triggering clashes with all types of weapons," the first of its kind between the army and the powerful Islamist group , said the officer .
