Freelance journalist killed amid new round of Libya clashes

BENGHAZI, Libya — A freelance journalist who contributed to The Associated Press and other news organizations was killed Saturday in the Libyan capital, a colleague said.

Mohamed Ben Khalifa, who was in his 30s, was hit by shrapnel while accompanying a militia patrolling the Qaser Bin Ghashir area south of Tripoli, said Hamza Turkia, also a freelance journalist.

The militia came under attack by another armed group, said Turkia. He said there was gunfire, and that a missile was also fired.

Ben Khalifa, a photographer and video journalist, is survived by his wife and a 7-month-old daughter, another colleague said.

A new round of fighting between rival militias erupted earlier this week, killing 13 people and wounding more than 50, according to the Libyan Health Ministry.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Are the B.C. Conservatives digging their own graves?

43m ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

Dec 14, 2024

Two and Out

PETERS: Whether building up or tearing down, Kamloops is what you make it

Dec 13, 2024

The clashes shattered a U.N.-brokered cease-fire reached in September. A bout of violence last year killed nearly 100 people.

The fighting between militias allied with Libya’s U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and an armed group from a nearby town underscores Libya’s lingering lawlessness since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The energy-rich North African nation is governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country’s east, each of which is backed by an array of militias.

___

This story corrects attribution in the 4th paragraph.

The Associated Press