Gunfight Breaks Out in Tripoli

On Friday, a gunfight broke out in the Libyan capital Tripoli between supporters of ousted leader Muammar Qaddafi and forces of the Libyan interim government. The fight was the first sign of armed resistance to the NTC since its forces seized the capital in August. Though the battles were small and casualties seemed few, it raised concerns about the interim government facing a possible insurgency by Qaddafi loyalists. In an audio message released on Thursday night, Qaddafi asked his supporters to rise up after Friday prayers. The former leader has released a number of audio recordings calling on loyalists to fight back. Residents said that a group of up to 50 armed men appeared in the Abu Salim neighborhood earlier in the day chanting pro-Qaddafi slogans. Four pro-Qaddafi gunmen were later captured in Abu Salim. NTC men said fighting also broke out in three other nearby neighborhoods. The NTC fighters were met by a hail of machine-gun fire as they went from house to house s