Truck bomb kills 65 at Libyan police training centre

Media in Libya said the attack struck the al-Jahfal training camp.

At least 40 people were killed when a truck bomb exploded at a police training center in Libya’s town of Zliten, local officials said.

Dozens more were injured in the attack, which happened as hundreds of recruits were gathering for a graduation ceremony. Around 30 of the dead, mostly policemen and trainees, have been identified.

Martin Kobler, the UN’s special representative to Libya, tweeted: “I condemn in the strongest terms today’s deadly suicide attack in Zliten, call on all Libyans to urgently unite in fight against terrorism”.

The blast occurred in the coastal city of Zliten, located around 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of the capital Tripoli.

In the chaos, Islamic State militants have grown in strength, taking over the city of Sirte and launching attacks on oilfields.

It has been run by rival administrations since 2014 when an Islamist-backed militia alliance took over Tripoli, forcing the government to set up a base in the east.