At least one soldier has been killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in eastern Libya, military sources say.

The attack targeted the Uqba bin Nafae Battalion in the port city of Derna, situated over 800 kilometers (548 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, on Saturday.

"Following the assault, a car packed with more than 50 kilograms of TNT explosives was found," the battalion commander said on condition of anonymity, adding that bomb disposal units managed to defuse the explosives.


The Libyan government is struggling to control its borders and making efforts to retrieve the arms and explosives that were looted after longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi was deposed in August 2011.

The central government has little authority beyond the capital, and the country is fractured by militias, tribes, and regional loyalties.

The chaos in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi’s government has implications far beyond-the-border areas.

Arms and explosives stockpiled by the Gaddafi government are being smuggled into Mali and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and also supplied to the foreign-backed militants fighting the Syrian government.