Suicide attack targets Libyan ministry

Bloomberg

Suicide bombers struck the Libyan Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Tripoli, killing three people, officials said, in the latest blow to efforts to stabilise the war-ravaged North African nation.
Gunmen opened fire on the ministry and one of them blew himself up, the Foreign Ministry said. At least 18 others were wounded, Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said in a televised press conference, putting the death toll at two. It wasn’t immediately possible to reconcile the difference in the toll.
“There is chaos in the security situation that’s aiding terrorist,” Bashagha said, stressing that there was no coordination between security services and that in the two months since he assumed the post, he has found that the ministry lacked the resources to effectively do its job and that it didn’t bear responsibility for the attack. “If we can’t build a nation, then Libyans are in danger.”
The blast set off a fire inside the building, and black smoke could be seen billowing from its windows, footage from state television showed. The pavement outside was scattered with glass and debris, and nearby cars were on fire.
Government installations in the capital and elsewhere in the country have repeatedly come under attack assailants ranging from rival militias to IS militants.
Officials have been largely powerless to halt the violence as rival governments vie for power in a political tug-of-war that has stunted attempts to stabilise and rebuild the nation that sits atop Africa’s largest proven reserves of crude.
In a reflection of the state of affairs in the country, Bashagha, who is one of the leaders of Misrata, a city home to one of the most powerful militias, said that some foreign government reach out directly to various militias on security matters instead of contacting the ministry.
He said that a new agency would be set up to oversee the security services.