Government troops 'enter central Benghazi'

An official source said on Wednesday government troops had entered central Benghazi following a battle for the city that had killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of families to flee.

Spokesman Mohammed Hegazi said former army general Khalifa Haftar, who led a campaign against Islamic militants trying to seize the city, had appeared in a military parade on Gamal Abdel-Nasser Street in the heart of Benghazi.

It is reported that Haftar said the majority of Benghazi was under the army's control, however, this claim was disputed by the militias.

Extremists recently took control of Libya's capital, Tripoli, along with Islamist-allied factions, forcing the elected government out.

Libya had faced its worst violence since the 2011 civil war that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Worst violence since uprising

On Wednesday, at least 10 people were killed in the ongoing battle for Benghazi, which is Libya's second largest city.

Witnesses said up to seven died when a shell hit a funeral tent in the central Al-Majouri district in the east of the city.

These latest killings saw the death toll rise to more than 200 in nearly two weeks of clashes.

Battle for Benghazi

Armed forces general staff spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari also confirmed there had been "heavy fighting" in Benghazi which had been held by the militias since July.

Military sources reported troops loyal to ex-general Haftar carried out several air strikes against the Ansar al-Sharia jihadist group across the city.

The group, blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization for its role in a deadly 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, is one of the two main Islamist militias in the city.

Previous offensives led by Haftar had not been recognized by the Libyan government, but it threw its support behind the former general and rebel commander after they were forced out of Tripoli by extremists in August.

Benghazi became the scene of bloody battles starting in May when Haftar declared war on Islamists including the Ansar al-Sharia group.

lw/kms (AP, Reuters, AFP)