DHAKA: Gunmen have attacked a military checkpoint south-east of the Libyan capital Tripoli killing 15 soldiers, the authorities say.

A military official said the attack was near Bani Walid, a stronghold in 2011 of supporters of former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, reports the BBC.

Several more soldiers are reported to have been injured.

It is not clear who carried out the attack, but the government has struggled to control armed groups.

The official, describing it as an ambush, said the attack took place on a road between Bani Walid city and the town of Tarhouna.

The troops came under heavy fire from the gunmen who drove vehicles with mounted machine guns, the official said.

An army captain was quoted as saying five soldiers were wounded in the attack in the Wishtata district.

The main road to Bani Walid was closed while the incident was investigated.

The lack of central government control over large swathes of Libya has left room for armed groups linked to clans and Islamist militants to thrive, analysts say.

Much of the recent violence has been blamed on groups which grew out of the rebel movement behind the overthrow of Col Gaddafi during the 2011 civil war.

Military officers and other members of the security apparatus are among those to have been targeted in recent weeks.

BDST: 2040 HRS, OCT 05, 2013
RoR/RIS