Gunmen Claiming ISIS Ties Kill 2 at South Korean Embassy in Libya

Gunmen claiming loyalty to the Islamic State killed two local security guards at the South Korean Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, on Sunday, South Korean and Libyan officials said.

The gunmen fired from a car at the embassy compound, killing the two security officers who were Libyan government employees and wounding another, a Libyan security spokesman said.

There were no Korean casualties, a South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul clarified.

South Korea is one of just a few countries that still have an embassy in Tripoli. The South Korean embassy was staffed by just two foreign service officials and one administrative staff member.

Libyan militants claiming allegiance to ISIS have claimed several attacks on foreigners in Libya this year, including an assault on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli and the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.

The militants have also claimed attacks on the embassies of Egypt and Algeria in Tripoli, although these were mostly empty buildings since most countries have pulled out their diplomatic staff amid the worsening security situation in the Libyan capital.

On Monday, a bomb exploded at the gate of the Moroccan embassy in Tripoli, causing some damage but hurting nobody, a security official said.

ISIS-linked militants later posted on Twitter they were responsible for the recent attacks. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the claims.

"The Government of the Republic of Korea strongly condemns the attack and offers its deep condolence to the bereaved families of the victims," Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

Quoting a foreign ministry official, the Korea Times reported that Korean Ambassador to Libya Lee Jong-kook was in Tunisia on business when the attack happened.

The newspaper said Seoul is thinking of pulling the entire staff from the Libyan capital and requested Libyan police to tighten security at the embassy. About 40 Koreans live in Libya including two diplomats and one administrative staff.

Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are six countries that the South Korean government has imposed a travel ban. Koreans wanting to travel to these countries need to get permission from the government.

Libya has been caught in conflict between two rival governments and armed forces since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The internationally recognized government in Libya has been based in the east since a rival faction called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in August, setting up a rival administration. Violence by Islamist militants has worsened the chaos.

In a separate attack on Sunday, gunmen in Tripoli killed a half-brother of Mahmoud Jibril, prime minister during the 2011 uprising and head of the National Forces Alliance which opposes Libya Dawn, a senior alliance member said.