Libya's major city restricts foreigners' entry amid IS attacks
Xinhua, June 4, 2015 Adjust font size:
Local authorities of Libya's third largest city of Misrata announced on Wednesday new measures restricting the entry of foreigners to the city amid escalating attacks by Islamic State (IS) group.
"Foreigners must obtain work permits and have local sponsors," a source with Misrata's Local Council told Xinhua.
The procedures would be enforced due to threats posed by IS affiliates who intensified their attacks on vital sites and military locations of the city, the source explained.
Misrata has been targeted with suicide bombings several times. On Sunday, a suicide attack on the city's western gate killed five people and injured six others.
An IS affiliate claimed on Twitter responsibility for Sunday's attack and identified the bomber as a Tunisian national.
Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has been witnessing a frayed political process after leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled during the 2011 political turmoil.
The country is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants, which has caused a security vacuum for homegrown extremism to brew. Endit