4 killed as Libya coastguard clashes with suspected smugglers

Four suspected migrant smugglers were killed in an exchange of fire with the Libyan coastguard off western Libya today, spokesman Ayoub Qassem said.

Qassem said the clash started when the coastguards tried to apprehend heavily armed gunmen whose boat was located near a migrant vessel close to the city of Zawiya, about 45 kilometres west of Tripoli.

“The coastguard boat detected the gunmen’s boat by radar during a patrol,” Qassem told Reuters.

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“The gunmen were asked to stop but they refused to follow the rules, which means most likely they were smugglers of illegal migrants. They opened fire at the patrol. The coastguards fired back too.”

Two of the suspected smugglers were arrested and one was missing, Qassem said. A German journalist travelling on the coastguard boat suffered a minor injury when he tumbled during the clash, he said.

Libya’s western coast is the departure point for the vast majority of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea, and powerful smuggling networks have long operated with impunity in the area.