Libyan forces guarding a hospital came under fire overnight in the restive eastern city of Benghazi, which was today on a general strike to protest against deadly militia violence.
No one was wounded in the drive-by shooting late last day near Al-Jala hospital, and the assailants fled after a special forces unit returned fire, a security official said, adding that cars in the area had been set ablaze during the clash.
The city council declared a three-day strike after an army patrol came under attack Monday near the headquarters of Ansar al-Sharia, a jihadist group blamed for the 2012 attack on a US mission in which the ambassador and three other Americans were killed.
At least seven people were killed in the clashes and around 50 wounded, according to the health ministry.
Libya has seen mounting unrest since the toppling of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 by a ragtag assortment of rebel brigades, many of which have since been transformed into militias that defy the weak central government.
Schools, universities and banks in Benghazi were still closed today, the second day of the strike, but only around half the city's shops remained shuttered, according to an AFP correspondent.
