Suicide bomb attack kills at least 15 in Libya's Benghazi

August 2, 2016 at 16:16

A car bomb targeting security forces on Tuesday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 30 others, a spokesman for the security services and medical officials said.

"There were 15 martyrs and more than 30 wounded in the suicide bombing at Al-Gawarsha" in western Benghazi, the military official said.

The blast occurred in a residential area of the Guwarsha district, the scene of recent fighting between security forces loyal to Libya’s eastern government and an alliance of Islamists and others.

The attacks comes a day after US warplanes carried out their first air strikes on Islamic State group positions in the Libyan city of Sirte at the request of Libya's internationally recognised authorities, the Government of National Accord based in Tripoli. The strikes targeted an Islamic State group tank and two vehicles that posed a threat to government forces.

The GNA was the result of a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement between the country's rival eastern and western factions back in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by the elected parliament that is based in the country's far east.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)