TRIPOLI: Overnight clashes between rival armed groups in western Libya left four people dead and at least 10 wounded before an intervention by a neutral force put an end to the violence, security sources said on Tuesday.

The fighting had been between members of the Anti-Security Threat Agency — attached to Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah, who heads the UN-recognised government in Tripoli — and the defence ministry’s 103rd Battalion, a local security official said.

Units of the 52nd Western Infantry Brigade “intervened as a peacekeeping force, with the agreement of both parties”, a military source from the brigade said. The troops are currently “deployed along the lines of contact in Sorman and at the administrative boundaries of Zawiya”, the source added, referring to coastal cities about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Tripoli.

Clashes between armed groups are a recurring issue in the regions of Sorman and Zawiya, where there is a large oil refinery. The area is at the heart of power struggles between armed groups engaged in organised crime including diesel smuggling and human trafficking.

The main road along the coast between Zawiya and Tripoli was closed as a precaution during the fighting, but the military source said “all roads are secure and the coastal road has been reopened”, adding there were no more fighters in the area.

Neither the prime minister’s office nor the defence ministry has officially commented. An official from Zawiya’s security directorate had given the toll from the clashes as “four dead and more than 10 wounded”, said.

Images and videos circulating on social media showed thick columns of black smoke rising above residential neighbourhoods in Sorman, as well as torched vehicles and equipment.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026