Libyan officials say 23 people have been killed and dozens wounded after a auto bombing in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
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The alliance, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, said it had carried out the attack, according to a statement posted on media sites linked to the group.
Men inspect the wreckage of a vehicle following clashes between forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar andBenghazi Defence Brigades (BDB), an Islamist-leaning armed group, in the Magrun area, south of Benghazi, Libya July 21, 2016.
The attack targeted a gathering of the special forces unit of Haftar’s forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), forces spokesman Fadel al-Hassi said.
There have been occasional auto bombings, though the toll from Tuesday’s blast was unusually high.
Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is yet to comment on the attack, which comes after the United States started an air campaign in the central city of Sirte, the last bastion of the Islamic State extremist group in Libya.
The parliament in eastern Libya does not recognize the United Nations government and many in the east are angry that Mr Serraj’s administration invited foreign military intervention without the eastern parliament’s consent.
A UN-backed government moved into Tripoli earlier this year, but Haftar and the eastern government have so far rejected it.
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The strikes came after a request made by the government and presidency council in the capital, Tripoli.
