10 Tunisian consulate personnel abducted in Libya

TRIPOLI, Libya, June 12 (UPI) -- Ten members of Tunisia's consulate staff in Tripoli, Libya, were kidnapped Friday by armed gunmen, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said.

It remains unknown which of Libya's many armed militant groups are responsible for the incident. Tunisia is among the small number of countries which still maintain a consular presence in Tripoli, a capital under the control of a national government recognized internationally by few countries. A competing government was established in the city of Tobruk, the residue of a vacuum of power in the country since the 2011 civil war which removed ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

A statement by the Tunisian Foreign Ministry called the abduction Friday "a vile aggression" and a "blatant attack on Tunisian national sovereignty and a flagrant violation of international laws and diplomatic norms." It added the government in Tunis was monitoring the events and working to have the consulate personnel released.