BENGHAZI, Libya - Car bombs exploded in eastern Libyan towns under the control of the internationally-recognized government on Wednesday, wounding at least 20 people. Libya is in growing chaos as armed factions compete for power. One has taken over the capital Tripoli, setting up its own government and parliament and forcing the elected parliament and administration of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni to move east.
One car bomb went off in a busy street in the eastern city of Tobruk near the Egyptian border, where the elected parliament is based in a hotel. "Twenty people have been wounded," lawmaker Saleh Hashem said. Another blast was near the military airport of Labraq, used by al-Thinni, now based in nearby Bayda east of Benghazi. A third car bomb exploded in Benghazi, where the Libyan army and a renegade former general are fighting Islamists, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. International attempts to mediate in the conflict have failed to produce a holding cease-fire or bring the major armed groups to the table.
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