IS suicide attack in Libya kills five militants

Jihadists claim responsibility for early morning explosion targeting rival Islamist faction

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TRIPOLI — A pre-dawn suicide attack in northwest Libya Sunday claimed by the Islamic State group killed five members of the Fajr Libya militia alliance that controls the capital, a militia spokesman said.

“A car suicide bomber blew himself up near a checkpoint at an entrance of Dafniya,” between the town of Zliten and Libya’s third city Misrata, said the Fajr Libya spokesman.

The attack, which occurred at 3:00 am (05:00 GMT), killed five members of the militia alliance and wounded seven others, he added.

The LANA news agency of the militia-backed Tripoli administration, gave a similar account of the attack, and also reporting that five were dead.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter, identifying the suicide bomber as a Tunisian named Abu Wahib al-Tunsi.

The jihadists have taken advantage of the chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi to establish a foothold in Libya.

Fajr Libya, a coalition of militias, including Islamists, seized power in Tripoli last year.

It installed a new government and parliament in the capital, prompting the administration recognized by the international community to flee to the east of the country.