Yesterday, October 4th 2017, an ISIS claimed suicide bombing killed at least four and injured 39 in Misrata, Libya. Of three attackers, one managed to enter Misrata’s main court building and detonate his explosive vest.
The two other attackers proceeded to fire into the building until one was shot dead and the other arrested.
The blast and shooting could be heard across the city.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya condemned the attack, saying, “indiscriminate attacks on civilians incl. employees of judicial institutions violate human rights law.” The casualties include both civilians and security personnel.
It was reported that the attack coincided with the arrival of ISIS detainees for a court hearing.
Last year, IED attacks in Libya caused 490 casualties, of which 98 (20%) were civilians. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has been monitoring explosive violence harm across the globe since October 2010. Between, October 2010 and June 2017, AOAV recorded 67 IED attacks in Libya. These were responsible for 1109 casualties, including 475 civilians (43%).
AOAV calls for states and international organisations to work collaboratively to generate greater awareness of the number of civilians killed and injured each year by IEDs, and encourage a greater stigma from political, religious and social leaders on the use of IEDs.
For more on AOAV’s research into addressing the threat of IEDs, please click here.
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