Militia groups from Libya's city of Misrata have been ordered to leave the capital, Tripoli, following deadly clashes there, BBC News reported.

Misrata's local council said the groups must pull out within three days, and one local commander later told the BBC his unit would comply with the order.

It comes after some Misrata gunmen on Friday, November 15 opened fire on protesters trying to evict them from their headquarters. In protest, Tripoli city declared a three-day general strike.

In a separate development further highlighting the weakness of the country's central government, Libyan deputy intelligence chief Mustafa Nuh was kidnapped on Sunday, security sources told the BBC.

Local media say he was abducted from Tripoli airport, but the government says it is unable to confirm this. No group has said it abducted Nuh, but militias have seized senior officials before to get political leverage.

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was held hostage for several hours by gunmen in October, before being released unharmed.