By Houda Mzioudet.
Tripoli, 20 July, 2013:
Calm seems to have returned to Tripoli’s Hay Al-Zohour district on the Airport Road, after clashes . . .[restrict]between armed groups left two dead and four injured.
The fighting is understood to have been between a Misrata militia and a group tasked with protecting the neighbourhood, believed to be from Zintan. Heavy weaponry was reportedly used during the clashes which took place shortly before iftaar on Thursday.
The violence escalated from a small fight over the capture of a man from Misrata by some armed men from Zintan, a security official told the Libya Herald, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“They do not represent Misrata nor Zintan. They are a group of young people who are looking for trouble,” the official added.
Two days earlier in the area, four vehicles belonging to members of the military police were targeted with coordinated car bombs.
The Ministry of Interior issued a statement on Friday stressing that it would not tolerate criminal groups engaging in aggressive behaviour towards peaceful citizens. It also called upon Libyans “to contact the police and criminal investigation directorate with any information that could contribute to catching perpetrators and bringing them to justice,” according to Libyan news agency LANA. [/restrict]