Libya official: Gunmen kill 2 women, 3 kids near capital

CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan health official says gunmen have killed two women and three children while they were driving on a highway near the capital, Tripoli.

The city has been the scene of fighting between rival militias since April. A U.N.-supported but weak government holds the capital. Forces associated with a rival government in the country’s east are trying to seize it. Both sides are dug in and shelling one another along Tripoli’s southern reaches.

It was unclear who was behind the attack. Malek Merset, spokesman for the Tripoli-based health ministry, said Thursday that one person from the car survived but was severely wounded. The attack occurred Wednesday as Abdel Rahman al-Tamimi his wife, sister and three children were traveling to the capital from his hometown of al-Aziziya, south of the city.