Libya: Six killed, over 20 injured in two car bomb attacks

Tripoli: Two car bomb attacks in eastern Libyan towns have killed six people and injured at least 20 others, according to medical and military sources. According to a Libyan interior ministry official, the first attack took place early on Wednesday in the city of Tobruk, where the temporary Libyan parliament headquarters is located, while the other attack occurred near the military airport of Labraq in the eastern city of Bayda, home to the Libyan interim government. [caption id=“attachment_1800945” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] No one has claimed responsibility for any of Wednesday’s car bombings so far, Xinhua reported. “A double suicide attack in the city of Tobruk killed at least one person and injured 20 others, four of them, seriously ,” a health ministry source said, adding that “the attack was far from Dar Al-Salam hotel, where the Libyan House of Representatives temporarily holds its meetings”. According to witnesses, the explosion was so powerful that it completely damaged several cars parked nearby. “Members of the House of Representatives are all okay because the explosion was far from their headquarters. However, there are tight security precautions against any possible attacks,” a member of the Libyan Parliament said on condition of anonymity. Also on Wednesday, another car bomb exploded near the Labraq airport in Bayda. Five soldiers were killed in the attack and they were pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the medical source. Earlier, the source said two soldiers were killed and another three were wounded in the explosion. Libya’s interim government is temporarily based in the city of Bayda, after armed militants took control of capital Tripoli last August and forced the newly-elected parliament to base itself in the eastern city of Tobruk. On Sunday, two car bombs exploded in the city of Bayda, when Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni was in a meeting with UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon, but no casualties were reported. IANS