Suicide bomber targets pro-government fighters in Benghazi

Scores of fighters were killed on a third day of clashes in Benghazi, as Islamists and pro-government forces battled for control of the Libyan city.

Benghazi Medical Centre said those killed on Friday were mostly soldiers and civilians fighting alongside the army in the central district of al-Majouri.

At least 52 people have been killed since forces of retired General Khalifa Haftar, backed by army units, on Wednesday launched what he called an operation to "liberate" Benghazi from Islamist militias, according to hospital figures.

Among the victims, four people were killed after a suicide bomber blew up his car at a checkpoint operated by armed youths allied with government forces against Islamist militants.

On Saturday, the Benghazi Medical Center said it had received three bodies and the remains of the suicide bomber in addition to other that have been injured in the attack.

The attack targeted residents of the central Benghazi area of Boudhima, who had apparently set-up a roadblock at the entrance to their neighborhood.

Libya has been clouded in violence between Islamist militias and government forces in recent months. As a result of the unrest, Libya’s internationally recognized parliament was forced to relocate from the capital of Tripoli to the city of Tobruk.

The attack follows heavy clashes on Friday which killed at least 18 people in Benghazi.

The offensive came after al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia and other armed groups overran some army camps and were closing in on the airport.

Civilians have been caught up in the fighting and the Red Crescent charity has called for a ceasefire to allow civilians to escape the fighting.

Clashes between rival militias have driven an estimated 287,000 people from their homes, including 100,000 who have fled the outskirts of Tripoli, according to the UN refugee agency.

In an interview with the Libya Herald before this week's operation in Benghazi, Haftar said that foreign fighters from Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, Mali, Syria, Qatar and other unnamed Arab states have been entering Libya since shortly after the revolution. 

This, he said, posed a huge threat to establishing security in the country and warned that if Libya falls to Islamist terrorists, it would spread to neighbouring countries and Europe.

"It is not just our battle — it is the world’s battle,” Hafter said, in a call for assistance from the international community.