Libya: ISIS Kills 2 in Attack on Police Station

Smoke rises from a ruined house after it was hit by an air strike as fighters from Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government advance into the last area controlled by ISIS, in Sirte, Libya, October 14, 2016. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from a ruined house after it was hit by an air strike as fighters from Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government advance into the last area controlled by ISIS, in Sirte, Libya, October 14, 2016. (Reuters)
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Libya: ISIS Kills 2 in Attack on Police Station

Smoke rises from a ruined house after it was hit by an air strike as fighters from Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government advance into the last area controlled by ISIS, in Sirte, Libya, October 14, 2016. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from a ruined house after it was hit by an air strike as fighters from Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government advance into the last area controlled by ISIS, in Sirte, Libya, October 14, 2016. (Reuters)

ISIS terrorists have killed two policemen and injured several others at a checkpoint east of the Libyan city of Ajdabiya.

The attack also led to the destruction of a military armored vehicle and an ambulance, and the seizure of some equipment.

The heavy clashes with the army also resulted in the death of 12 members of the terrorist organization.

The attack took place early on Tuesday in the eastern town of Aqilah when armed men attacked the policemen manning the checkpoint, and the group later attacked a police station and burned several police and ambulance vehicles, according to sources.

The attack is not the first of its kind in the city.

On May 22, ISIS used a car bomb on the 60th gate, south of the city, which coincided with another attack on the eastern gate of Ujlah, killing two soldiers of Battalion 152.

Ajdabiya’s Security Department revealed details of the incident in Aqilah, saying that the two soldiers killed in "the treacherous attack launched by ISIS” were Osman Issa al-Zawawi and Abdul Rahim Awad al-Denglawi al-Qabaeli. Security forces also found five bombs prepared for detonation.

Commander of Battalion 141, Brigadier General Abdullah Naji and a team of military engineering arrived at the scene and dismantled the bombs.

The Security Directorate continued that “Ajdabiya operations pursued the terrorists, and clashed with them in the area of al-Jafr, south of Aqilah, during which soldier Qabaeli was killed.”.

Al-Shaheed Hospital in Ajdabiya announced that it had received the bodies of two dead soldiers and three wounded. Local media reported that the ISIS terrorists “slit a police officer’s throat” and killed another, and the group later attacked a police station, raised the ISIS flag atop the building and burned several police and ambulance vehicles.

Al-Wasat media outlet quoted the head of the police station, Major Meftah Rahil, as saying that ISIS members also kidnapped a citizen who was driving a minibus and made sure to shoot a video of the highway before leaving.

However, Ajdabiya Operations denied claims that Othman al-Zawawi had his throat slit and confirmed that he “was shot dead”.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.