By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya – Gunmen have attacked a military checkpoint south-east of the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing 15 soldiers and wounding five.

Two years after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, the north African country’s fragile central government is struggling to control rival militias competing for influence in the aftermath of the conflict.

A military official said the attack was near Bani Walid, a stronghold in 2011 of supporters of Gadaffi.

“The ambush happened on the road between Bani Walid and the town of Tarhouna, where the army had a checkpoint. They came under heavy gunfire. Between 12 and 15 soldiers were killed,” said Ali Sheikhi, a spokesman for the army joint chief of staff.

It is not clear who carried out the attack, but the government has struggled to control armed groups.

Clan and tribal rivalries, as well as Islamist groups, have flourished in the absence of strong central government and Libya’s armed forces cannot fully maintain order.

Four of the wounded soldiers are in serious condition and the bodies of the 15 soldiers killed were being kept in the hospital in Tarhouna, where the five wounded were also taken, according to Lana, the state-run news agency.

The main road to Bani Walid was closed while the incident was being investigated. It was the single largest known killing of military personnel since the 2011 civil war.

The new Libyan authorities have sought to impose law and order in the country, but violence has been rampant, particularly in Benghazi, which has been the center of opposition to Gaddafi’s rule.

In June, six soldiers from an elite special forces unit were shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi by masked gunmen. At this same time, another six soldiers were killed at a checkpoint south of Sirte.

The lack of security in Libya has also been highlighted this year by clashes in Benghazi as protestors demanded the disbandment of militias.

The army is seen as out-manned and out-gunned by a mix of armed groups seemingly pursuing different agendas, says the BBC’s Rana Jawad in Tripoli.

For further information, please visit:

BBC News – Libyan gunmen kill 15 soldiers – 5 October 2013
The Frontier Post – Libyan gunmen kill 15 troops – 6 October 2013
Fox News Latino – 15 Soldiers killed in attack on military checkpoint in Libya – 5 October 2013
iol News – Gunmen kill 12 Libyan soldiers – 5 October 2013
Reuters – Libyan checkpoint ambush kills at least 12 soldiers – 5 October 2013
The Jerusalem Post – Gunmen ambush soldiers at Libyan checkpoint, kill at least 12 – 5 October 2013