TRIPOLI, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Libyan couple were killed on Friday when a shell hit their car as they were fleeing from the heavy fighting in Libya's western city of Sabratha, a military spokesman said.
"A heavy shell hit a family in a car near the entrance of the city as they tried to leave because of the violent fighting. A man and his wife were killed, and their three children wounded," Saleh Bogrese'a, spokesman of Sabratha's anti-Islamic State (IS) operation chamber, told Xinhua.
Clashes were still going on despite calls for a cease-fire, Bogrese'a noted.
Sabratha, located some 70 km west of the capital Tripoli, has witnessed violent clashes between rival armed groups since Sunday morning, which have caused dozens of casualties and forced many residents to flee their homes.
The clashes broke out after a member of the armed groups affiliated with the city's military council was killed by the anti-IS operation chamber.
UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Thursday called for an immediate cease-fire in Sabratha.
"UNSMIL are deeply concerned about clashes in Sabratha and civilian casualties, and calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law," the mission said in a statement.
Sabratha's anti-IS operation chamber was formed in 2016, and is allied with the Tripoli-based UN-backed government of national accord.
The armed groups affiliated with the city's military council accused the chamber of being loyal to the rival eastern-based Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar. Enditem
