Seven killed in bombing at military barracks in Libya

Tripoli, March 18 (IANS/EFE) At least seven soldiers died Monday and another 12 were wounded in a car-bomb attack at the main entrance to military barracks in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

The explosion came on the day of commissioning a new group of officers who had been trained at this base, a source in the security forces said.

A medical authority at Central Hospital said that six of the wounded were in critical condition and have been taken to Al-Jala Hospital, also in Benghazi.

The security situation in Benghazi, the rebel capital during the popular armed rebellion against the regime of the late Col. Moammar Gadhafi, has deteriorated progressively since the beginning of the political transition in October 2011.

More than 200 people, mostly members of the security forces, have been slain in this town, where there have also been numerous attacks on diplomatic missions and government offices.

The inability of former prime minister Ali Zeidan to stabilise the country led parliament to approve a motion of censure against him last Tuesday and subsequently to designate Defence Minister Abdullah al-Thanay as acting premier.

--IANS/EFE

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