Death toll of Libya's airport attack rises to 16

TRIPOLI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A medical source confirmed Monday that the casualties of an earlier attack in the International Airport of the Libyan capital Tripoli increased to 16 deaths and 48 injuries, including civilians.

"The victims include civilians. The injured have been transferred to several hospitals and clinics in Tripoli," Abduddayem Al-Rabri, director of Tripoli field hospital, told Xinhua.

Rabri called on all Libyan doctors and medical assistants to help treat the injured people, stressing that many doctors are providing assistance.

The Special Deterrent Force in charge of securing the airport said an armed group on Monday morning attacked Tripoli International Airport with heavy weapons.

"The criminal militia known as Bashir al-Baqarah and all the criminals wanted by the Deterrent Force attacked the International Airport after escaping (from jail) and joining the militia," said the Special Deterrent Force.

The Force confirmed that the situation is now under full control.

Head of the Civil Aviation Authority Nasr-Addin Shayeb al-Ain said the airport had been temporarily closed for security reasons.

"The closure of the airport was because of the ongoing clashes. We are waiting for the clashes to stop and for the airport to be secure again to resume air traffic," al-Ain told Xinhua, pointing out that flights have been temporarily transferred to the airport of Misurata city, some 250 km east Tripoli.

The UN-backed government issued a statement condemning the attack, "which threatened the lives of travelers, nearby residents and the safety of air traffic."

"This attack aimed at freeing IS, al-Qaida and other terrorists from the detention center supervised by the Interior Ministry's Special Deterrence Force," said the statement.

"Those acts not only attempted to free terrorists, but also attempted to hinder the peaceful political transition in the country, and also obstruct local and international efforts to achieve stability in our country. These acts will not go away unpunished," the statement added.

The International Airport of Tripoli witnessed frequent clashes and armed attacks, most recently in October 2017.

However, Monday's attack is the most violent one the airport has witnessed so far, as gunmen attacked the air hub and the prison inside it, where hundreds of terrorists have been detained over the past few years. Enditem