Despite truce, Libyan capital sees renewed clashes

<p>By Walid Abdullah</p> <p>TRIPOLI (AA) – Libyan capital Tripoli saw fresh confrontations on Wednesday despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that came into effect four months ago, with sporadic clashes being reported in the city’s Qasr bin Ghashir district.</p> <p>The clashes appeared to pit the Seventh Infantry Brigade, previously affiliated with Libya’s Tripoli-based Defense Ministry, against the so-called Tripoli Protection Force, which is affiliated with the country’s UN-backed unity government.<br> </p> <p>On Sept. 4, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced that a ceasefire had been reached after days of bloody street fighting in the capital had left dozens dead.</p> <p>Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power. </p> <p>Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power — one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli — and a host of heavily armed militia groups.</p>