TRIPOLI, May 8 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and several others injured on Friday following the outbreak of intense armed clashes in the city of Zawiya, about 60 km west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, local media reported.
The reports said the clashes erupted in the morning between armed groups in central Zawiya and its surrounding areas, resulting in at least five deaths, including two women.
Sources also indicated that among the dead was a member of the security protection team at the Zawiya refinery, who was killed after being hit by a shell that landed near the facility.
Earlier today, Libya's Zawiya Oil Refining Company announced a full shutdown of the Zawiya refinery and the evacuation of oil tankers from its port on Friday, while activating an emergency, following armed clashes near the oil complex in Zawiya.
The developments coincided with an announcement by the Zawiya Security Directorate and the Joint Security Room in western Libya launching a large-scale security operation targeting wanted individuals and what it described as "outlaw elements," as part of efforts to enforce security and combat crime, according to an official statement.
Meanwhile, the western military region affiliated with the Libyan Presidential Council denied in an official statement any involvement in the security operation announced by the Zawiya Security Directorate, stressing that no prior coordination or communication had taken place. ■
