IS suicide attack in S. Libya draws widespread condemnation

 TRIPOLI, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The suicide attack that targeted a security checkpoint in the southern Libyan city of Sabha a few days ago drew widespread local and international condemnation.

Two security officers were killed and four others wounded in a suicide bombing attack launched by the militant Islamic State (IS) against a security checkpoint in the southern Libyan city of Sabha on Sunday.

The attack took place at around 6:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), when a suicide bomber driving a tuk-tuk vehicle loaded with explosives attacked the checkpoint, said Sunusi Saleh Sunusi, the security chief of Sabha.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah condemned the attack, confirming that his government will spare no effort to fight terrorism in Libya.

President of the Presidency Council Mohamed Menfi formed a security committee headed by the interior minister, aiming to collect information about the Sabha attack, bring those responsible to justice, and create mechanisms to fight terrorism in Libya.

The House of Representatives (parliament) also condemned the attack and called on all security agencies to track terrorism hotspots, warning against allowing the terrorist organization to regroup.

The Libyan Interior Ministry immediately instructed the Sabha Security Directorate to "conduct investigations into the attack and take samples from the crime scene."

Special UN Envoy to Libya Jan Kubis also condemned the attack, while reiterating his call for starting a process to unify the military and security institutions in Libya in order to enhance the borders' security and address the threat of terrorism and criminal activities.

The embassies of France, Italy and the U.S. to Libya, as well as the governments of Egypt and Algeria, have also condemned the attack, confirming their support to Libya's security and stability.

IS militants used to be active in eastern Libya and the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli, before they were defeated by the eastern-based army in eastern Libya and by the former UN-backed government of national accord in Sirte.

Libya is expecting to hold general elections on Dec. 24, as agreed by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, which created a unity government and a presidency council that ended years of political division in the war-torn North African country.

Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2021-06/09/c_139997158.htm

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