Rival groups clash at Libya’s main airport, six killed

Armed clashes broke out at Libya’s busiest airport in capital Tripoli Sunday, killing six people and injuring 25 others, Nour Edine Doghman, health ministry official said. Intense gunfire was constantly heard for a few hours after some big explosions, Xinhua reported citing a resident as saying. Sources said the fight erupted between the Islamist armed groups and militia from south-western Libyan city of Zintan that controls the airport. Both sides claimed to have taken control of the air hub on their websites. According to the local media reports, some rocket-propelled grenades hit the runway, thus disrupting both domestic and international flights. The Islamist militant groups, including Central Libya Shield, the Marsa Misratan Brigade, Hateen, the 27th Mobile Infantry and the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room, encircled the airport and used heavy weapons to bomb the defenders, say reports.