Libya's Ansar al-Sharia militia on Monday denied that its members were responsible for the recent outbreak of clashes with the Libyan army in Benghazi in the country's east.
"We did not pull the trigger first," militia spokesman Muhanad al-Enezi told Anadolu Agency. "We were only responding to army gunfire that targeted us."
A source with the militia said at least two group members had been killed in the clashes.
On Monday, Benghazi's military ruler imposed a state of emergency and summoned all military personnel to their units.
Al-Enezi said Libyan army forces had opened fire at his militiamen at southern Benghazi's Baraka Gate, where they had been stationed for the past three weeks.
Medical and military sources said that three army personnel had been killed in the clashes so far, while six more people – three troops and three civilians – had been injured.
Libyan Special Forces spokesman Meloud al-Zewi said clashes had erupted late Sunday between the army and the Ansar al-Sharia militia and remained ongoing.
"The clashes started at a checkpoint run by Ansar al-Sharia in the Baraka area amid heavy exchanges of fire," he told AA.
"A Special Forces post came under heavy fire during the clashes, which prompted troops to fire back," he added.
An AA correspondent in the city reported that security agencies had urged local residents to remain indoors.
Earlier this month, clashes between protesters and militiamen left 46 people dead and 519 injured in Tripoli, pushing authorities to call for the withdrawal of all militias from the capital.
Libyans have struggled to restore order to their country since the death two years ago of longstanding strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
The transitional government and its security forces, meanwhile, have struggled to contain the armed militias that helped overthrow Gaddafi but which held onto their weapons after the 2011 uprising.
By Moataz al-Majbari
englishnews@aa.com.tr
