TrIPOLi CLASH

A GUN battle erupted between revolutionary forces and Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s supporters in Tripoli for the first time in more than two months after a group tried to raise the green flag that symbolises the ousted leader’s regime yesterday.

The fighting began when loyalists appeared on the streets of the Abu Salim neighbourhood

Anti-Gaddafi fighters converged on the area, which has long been a loyalist stronghold, in pick-up trucks mounted with weapons, setting up checkpoints as gunfire echoed through the streets.

The violence in the capital, which has been relatively calm since the NTC seized control in late August, underscored the difficulty that Libya’s new rulers face in restoring order.

The deposed leader has issued several audio recordings from hiding to rally his supporters against the transitional leadership.

Witnesses said the shooting began after a dozens of men and women tried to raise the green flag in the Hay Nasr district.

“I looked out of my window and I saw men and women in a group of 50 to 80 people, carrying the green flag,” said Abadi Omar, a resident of one of the buildings in the area. “This is when the rebels came out and these people disappeared.”

RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI