| Zliten truck bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of theLibyan civil war (2014–2020) | |
 | |
  Zliten Zliten (Libya) | |
| Location | 32°27′50″N14°34′21″E / 32.46389°N 14.57250°E /32.46389; 14.57250 Zliten,Murqub District,Libya |
| Date | 7 January 2016 |
| Target | Policemen |
Attack type | Suicidetruck bombing |
| Weapons | Truck bombs |
| Deaths | 60+ |
| Injured | 200+ |
| Perpetrators | Wilayat al-Barqa (ISIL), Abu al-Abbas al-Muhajir, |
TheZliten truck bombing occurred on 7 January 2016, whenIslamist militants detonated atruck bomb at the police training camp al-Jahfal in the coastal town ofZliten, Libya. Libyan authorities said at least 60 policemen were killed and over 200 wounded. Concrete buildings inside the compound were charred from the blast and their windows blown out; nearby cars were turned into twisted metal wrecks. The head of theUnited Nations Support Mission in Libya,Martin Kobler, said the blast was a suicide attack.[1][2][3][4]
Wilayat al-Barqah, a province ofIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya, claimed responsibility for the attack. They said the bomber was Abu al-Abbas al-Muhajir, who detonated his explosive-laden truck among the Libyan border police at the base.[5]
This incident was the deadliest militant attack since the2011 Libyan revolution, followed byAl Qubbah bombings which killed 40 people in February 2015.[6]
United Nations: Head of theUnited Nations Support Mission in Libya,Martin Kobler, called for unity in the wake of the attack, saying implementing the political agreement was crucial. Kobler wrote on Twitter: "I condemn in the strongest terms today's deadly suicide attack in Zliten, call on all Libyans to urgently unite in fight against terrorism".[4]
Egypt: In an official press release, theforeign ministry of Egypt said that the "despicable acts of terrorism" in the city of Zliten affirm once again the urgency of supporting the legitimate security apparatuses in Libya, including theLibya National Army.[6]
Turkey:foreign ministry of Turkey said in a written statement: "We strongly condemn the deadly terrorist attack that targeted a police training center in Libya's Zliten city", "This atrocious attack has demonstrated once again the necessity of an effective fight against terror in Libya as well as the prompt establishment of national security and stability."[7]