Nine security agency members killed in blast west of Libyan capital Tripoli

At least nine ​members of a security ​agency were killed ‌and several ​others wounded by a mortar blast during a training exercise in a ‌city west of Libya's capital Tripoli late on Sunday, a local TV channel said. The blast, from an 82mm mortar round, ‌caused casualties among members of the Anti-Threat Security Agency, ‌according to Libya Alahrar TV channel broadcasting from Istanbul.

The Agency is a security force under the UN-recognized Government of National Unity led ⁠by Prime ​Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, ⁠according to the force's verified Facebook page. There was no immediate ⁠comments by authorities on the incident.

Citing medical sources, Libya Alahrar TV ​channel said other individuals were wounded, without saying how ⁠many. The incident took place in Zawiya, which is home to country's largest ⁠operating ​oil refinery, around 40 km (25 miles) west of Tripoli, and has been the site of repeated clashes between ⁠rival armed groups.

Libya has been plagued by unrest since ⁠the overthrow ⁠of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and remains divided between rival authorities in the country's west and ‌east.