5 abducted journalists found dead in Libya
Five journalists belonging to a Libyan TV crew have been
found dead, eight months after they were kidnapped.
A government spokesman said the bodies were found near the
city of Al Bayda, close to the site of the kidnapping, reports BBC.
The crew was taken in August while travelling through
territory largely controlled by extremist militants.
Libya has been in turmoil since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi
in 2011 and now has two competing governments and numerous militia groups.
Faraj al-Barassi, a district army commander in eastern
Libya, told Reuters that militants loyal to Islamic State (IS) were responsible
for the killings.
IS-affiliated militants have established a strong presence
in parts of Libya, including Derna where the kidnapping is believed to have
taken place.
Parts of Libya have descended into lawless chaos following
the overthrow of Gaddafi, allowing extremists to gain ground.
A February report by Human Rights Watch said there was a
"climate of impunity" in the country that "allowed militias to
assault, threaten, kidnap, or even kill journalists".
Libya's internationally recognised government has fled from
the capital Tripoli to the eastern city of Tobruk, while a rival parliament has
been established in Tripoli itself.
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