Tripoli hotel attack leaves at least 9 deadJanuary 28, 2015 - 12:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Militants have attacked a hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing at least nine people including five foreigners, officials say, according to BBC News. Several gunmen stormed the Corinthia Hotel and opened fire in the reception area. A car bomb also exploded nearby. Unconfirmed reports say some of the assailants have blown themselves up. The officials say the dead include one U.S. and one French citizen. The security forces say the stand-off has now been brought to an end. The U.S. state department has confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen, without giving any further details. The dead American is believed to have been a security contractor. The French national is reported to have been working for Libya's Buraq Air. There are conflicting reports as to the total number of attackers. A Twitter account linked to Islamic State said the militant group had carried out the attack. There has been strong evidence to suggest an IS presence in the eastern city of Derna since October, with a group there publicly declaring allegiance to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, the command structure is still a mystery to most foreign observers. The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says that in the past month there has been a string of incidents in western Libya, including abductions and bombings, that have been claimed by IS social media accounts. However, it has not been clearly established whether these groups are IS foot soldiers or people inspired by them. Photo: AFP Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |