Fresh clashes erupted last week between rival militias in Zawiyya, with at least three people killed.
On 9 June in the early hours, fighting broke out south of Zawiyya in the area of Bir al-Terfas (12 km south of the Coastal Road) and near the Bashkar intersection (about 9 km south of the Coastal Road) and escalated quickly.
The 103rd Infantry Battalion aka al-Silaa, supported by the al-Kabwat and Salem al-Latif’s militia, seized some key locations and facilities in and around Bir al-Terfas and north of Bir Bin Shu’ayb previously controlled by the 119th Battalion, a rival armed group linked to Muhammed al-Lafi aka al-Shalabi and Rabie al-Fanouta. They captured several military vehicles. Fighting continued intermittently throughout the day.
During the assault, the al-Silaa Battalion successfully stormed and ransacked Rabi al-Fanouta’s headquarters near Bir al-Terfas, forcing him to retreat to his stronghold in Bir Bin Shu’ayb (about 16 km south of Bir al-Terfas).
There were also skirmishes in other parts of the city. During fighting in al-Harsha in northwestern Zawiyya, a fighter was killed near al-Qamamda Mosque.
The fighting resulted in significant damage to military and some civilian facilities. Several armored vehicles were set ablaze. In the course of the fighting, at least three people were killed and several more wounded.
No official statement was issued by the Government of National Unity or the Zawiyya Security Directorate regarding the fighting, the reported casualties or the damages.
The spate of assassinations and tit-for-tat violence in and around Zawiyya has also continued.
On 13 June, a young man was shot dead by armed men on the southern outskirts of Zawiyya on the Bir al-Ghanem road near the HQ of the 103rd Infantry Battalion aka al-Silaa. He was reportedly killed by members of the al-Shalfouh militia from al-Ajilat.
On 14 June in the morning, the body of an unidentified young man, showing signs of gunshot wounds, was found dumped in al-Harsha.
On the evening of the same day, a member of the Counter Security Threats Agency was shot and killed instantly while stopped at the al-Sabria traffic light west of Zawiyya.
On 15 June in the early hours, a young man was fatally shot while sitting in his car in front of his home in the al-Shurafa neighborhood in central Zawiyya by unidentified assailants.