Bangladeshi killed in Libya air raid
At least one Bangladeshi worker was among seven people killed in an air strike on a biscuit factory in the Libyan capital Tripoli yesterday.
Another 35 were injured in the attack in a southern suburb of the capital, reports Reuters.
Talking to The Daily Star, ASM Ashraful Islam, labour counsellor of the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, said that of the dead, at least one is Bangladeshi. The rest are from other countries.
Those killed in the district of Wadi Rabea, about 21 km (13 miles) from the city centre, included two Libyans and five foreigners from Bangladesh and sub-Saharan African countries, said Usama Ali, a spokesman for the ambulance and emergency authority in Tripoli, Reuters reported.
Pictures posted by the authority showed several wounded people, in bloodstained civilian clothes, lying on beds in ambulances or medical facilities.
According to Reuters, Tripoli has been under attack since early April from forces loyal to east Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar. The offensive by his Libyan National Army (LNA) quickly stalled, and both sides, drawing on foreign support, have used drones and fighter jets to carry out air strikes amid sporadic fighting.
LNA air strikes have repeatedly hit civilian areas in Tripoli. Officials in eastern Libya contacted by Reuters on Monday said they had no information about an air strike by their forces.
Since 2014, Libya has been split between rival political and military groupings based in Tripoli and the east, the news organisation said.
Haftar has received backing from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, as well as fluctuating support from some Western powers.
Last week the United States called on the LNA to halt its offensive on Tripoli, warning against Russian interference.
The conflict in and around Tripoli has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians and displaced more than 120,000.
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