TRIPOLI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Interior Ministry on Tuesday announced the closure of the Ras Ajdir border crossing with Tunisia after an attack by a "criminal group."
"Instructions were made to immediately close the border (with Tunisia) after it was attacked by a criminal group that aimed to create chaos and disrupt work on preventing transgressions," the ministry said in a statement.
"The act of this criminal group will not be tolerated. Legal measures and proper punishments will be carried out against the perpetrators," the statement said.
According to local media, clashes erupted on Monday between security forces recently tasked to secure the border and a local armed group, with no casualties reported.
The Ras Ajdir border crossing, located some 170 km west of Libya's capital Tripoli, witnesses thousands of people crossing daily.
Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos. ■
