Islamic hard-line militias have claimed control of Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi, after overrunning army barracks and seizing heavy weapons. The Libyan government has since dismissed the claim. The weeks long surge of violence renewed fears that Libya is plunging deeper into civil strife.
The Health Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the death toll in Tripoli since the violence intensified in the past month has reached 214, with at least 981 people wounded. In the capital Tripoli, escalating battles Thursday between militias prompted multinational evacuation from the country.
Over 1,100 Chinese expatriates have been successfully evacuated. But there are still around 900 Chinese still in Libya.