Violent clashes north Libya claim 24 lives

At least 24 people were killed and 72 others injured when the Libyan army, backed by warplanes, repelled an offensive by Islamist Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) group in the northern Oil Crescent region on Tuesday.
"The army sustained five deaths and 13 injuries," military spokesman for the oil-rich region Ali Al-Hassi announced tonight.
The attackers advanced from Bin Jawad town, some 500 km to the east of Tripoli, towards Al-Sirdah, before being forced to retreat due to heavy human and material losses, he added.
However, Fajr Libya announced, on its Facebook account, that it suffered seven fatalities and 30 injuries during today's battles.
Under what it called a mandate from the General People's Congress (GPC or the outgoing parliament), the Islamist militia started attacking the Oil Crescent in last December.
The campaign, dubbed Al-Shorouq operation, is meant "to liberate the oilfields in the region." In a related development, spokesman of the Army's General Staff Col. Ahmad Al-Mismari said that fierce battles erupted yesterday in Derna, the stronghold of Islamist groups in northeast Libya.
The army suffered 11 deaths and 25 injuries in the battles, the spokesman said, adding that the army laid a siege on the city.