Libya: Libyan army urges Benghazi port area residents to evacuate
Libya’s army has asked residents to evacuate a central district of Beghanzi, where the country’s seaport is located, as it prepares a military operation against Islamists, Reuters news agency reported citing Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for the army’s chief of staff.
At least 230 people have been killed since the army, which is backed by forces loyal to a former general, waged an offensive against Islamist groups in Libya’s second-largest city. It is part of the ongoing strife that has taken over the oil-producing North African country three years after the ousting for its former dictator president Muammar Gaddafi.
“The chief of staff asks all residents of the Assabri district to leave by 12:00 noon [on Monday],” said al-Mesmari, according to Reuters.
The district is Benghazi’s main commercial area and also home to the seaport that is used for wheat and petroleum imports.