Clashes in Libya: Senior military official killed

Gunfire was reported in Tripoli, resulting in the death of Abdel Ghani Al-Kikli, Head of the Libyan Presidential Council’s Stability Support Apparatus, the newspaper Al-Wasat writes, citing its sources.

“Abdel Ghani Al-Kikli, Head of the Presidential Council’s Stability Support Apparatus, was killed Monday evening at the headquarters of the 444th Brigade in Tripoli’s military district,” reads the report.

It is clarified that the sounds of gunfire were heard in the Zara and Salah al-Din districts in southern Tripoli.

Libyan media reports indicate that Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli has ceased operations due to clashes, and local authorities have urged residents not to leave their homes.

Later, the Ministry of Defense of the Government of National Unity announced that the military operation had “successfully concluded.”

Since the ousting and killing of the country’s leader in 2011, Libya has not functioned as a unified state. Over the past few years, clashes have occurred between the country’s two factions. There are two governments operating, neither recognizing the other. The first, supported by the U.N. and led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, is based in Tripoli. The second, authorized by the House of Representatives, is located in Benghazi and led by Osama Hammad.