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2014-08-02 Africa North
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Tunisia Cop Hurt as Libyans Fire to Stop Crowd from Storming Border
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[An Nahar] Libyan border guards fired warning shots Friday to keep back a crowd of people trying to enter Tunisia as they fled the conflict in Libya, a Tunisian army officer said.
A Tunisian official was maimed by a stray bullet at the Ras Jdir crossing, where the incident took place and which was shut after the festivities.
The Tunisian foreign ministry urged its estimated 50,000 to 60,000 nationals in neighboring Libya to leave "as soon as possible" because of violence that has raged there since mid-July.
"The ministry of foreign affairs urges Tunisians who find themselves in Libyan territory to return home as soon as possible," a ministry statement said.
Underlining "the deteriorating security situation in several Libyan cities", the ministry urged its citizens to contact Tunisian consular offices in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
and Benghazi to facilitate their repatriation.
The Tunisian army officer said Libyan guards opened fire to push back hundreds of people attempting to force their way across the frontier.
The interior ministry said the head of national security at Ben Guerdane was hit in the leg by a stray bullet from the Libyan side of the border.
An Agence La Belle France-Presse correspondent on the Tunisian side said gunfire was heard from the Libyan side late in the morning, leading to the crossing's closure.
"The Egyptians wanted to force their way through, and the Libyans fired," the Tunisian officer said. "If they cross, we will fire too."
Tunisian forces fired tear gas at the crowd, he added.
Tunisian interior ministry front man Mohammed Ali Arui said: "Closure of the crossing is temporary."
He said reinforcements have been sent to deal with any further incidents and to stop weapons or fighters getting through from Libya.
Arui could not say if anyone in the crowd had been hurt.
The ministry estimates 6,000 people are stranded on the Libyan side of Ras Jdir crossing. 
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Posted by Fred 2014-08-02 00:00||
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