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Clashes in Benghazi kill 9

TRIPOLI, Libya — Clashes pitting soldiers and armed civilians against members of a militant Islamic group in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi left nine dead early Monday, officials said.

It was the latest confrontation between residents of Libya’s larger cities and the militias based in their midst. The country’s interim prime minister rushed to the city in an apparent effort to defuse the crisis.

The fighting started before dawn between armed citizens and members of Ansar al-Shariah, a hard-line group suspected to have been behind the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the US consulate in the eastern city, which left the US ambassador dead along with three other Americans.

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Despite being officially banned, the Ansar al-Shariah continues to maintain a presence in Benghazi.

The army’s special forces stepped in on the residents’ side to quell the violence, said security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. A statement from the deputy prime minister and interior minister said nine were killed and 43 wounded.

Associated Press