CAIRO: Armed men abducted a well-known Libyan political activist in the country’s capital, his father said on Friday, the latest in rampant attacks that have targeted officials, activists and foreigners in the strife-torn nation.

The abduction of Abdel-Moaz Banoun came as Tripoli is embroiled in weeks-long clashes between rival militias. The fighting has killed and wounded dozens on both sides.

Banoun’s father, Abdullah Banoun, said that his son was taken by two armed men who attacked his car on Thursday. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but the father blamed the militias.

Abdel-Moaz Banoun has been an outspoken critic of the militias and has urged that they be disbanded. He has also advocated the establishment of a unified police and army, which Libya lacks and which successive governments have not managed to form since the 2011 civil war that ousted and killed dictator Moammar Qadhafi.

An umbrella group for Islamist militias, called the Operation Room of Libya’s Revolutionaries, said in a brief statement on its Facebook page on Friday that “troops arrested Abdel-Moaz over allegations that he served under Qadhafi” and “instigated rallies against” the Islamic militias.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2014