Clashes continue in Libya

Libya’s government said 22 people had been killed in the latest battles between armed factions to control Tripoli airport, and fighting left a huge fire raging on Sunday at gas tanks at the city’s fuel depot.

The factions have been fighting for nearly three weeks to gain control of Tripoli airport in the worst violence since the 2011 civil war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

“Tripoli’s hospitals received 22 bodies [on Saturday] and 72 people were wounded,” Libya’s government said in a statement on Sunday.

“Mediating committees are still trying to stop the violence and return Tripoli to normal. They have faced difficulties because of the stubbornness of the militias attacking the city.”

The capital was quieter on Sunday morning except for sporadic blasts. But eight gas tanks at Tripoli’s fuel depot, which is near the airport and was hit by a rocket on Saturday, were still burning, creating a huge smoke cloud over the city.