Three-thousand camels imported from Australia to the capital of Tripoli, Libya were evacuated Wednesday night after the capital came under fire by artillery, according to Reuters.
A camel seller is seen in the largest camel market in Nouakchott on January 18, 2020.(Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)
The camels were reportedly herded along a highway heading towards Zawiya, a city 30 miles west of Tripoli. The camels arrived early Thursday morning, according to Reuters.
A merchant claimed that a local armed group stole 125 of the camels while they were en route. Witnesses reported 20 camel herds being whipped into line, with the occasional straggler searching for food along the way. Security forces reportedly closed the road to let them pass. (RELATED: Five-Year-Old Girl Raped On Grounds of U.S. Embassy In India)
Authorities say Tripoli’s port, where the camels were first brought to, was shelled by east-Libya–based commander Khalifa Haftar. The commander has been trying to take the city of Tripoli for roughly the past 10 months, battling the internationally-recognized government there.
A camel seller is seen in the largest camel market in Nouakchott on January 18, 2020.(Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)
The camels are typically driven in trucks to their destination, but fear of future attacks prompted the owner to walk them to their destination. Camels are widely imported to Libya from Sudan along with goats and camel meat is a popular food.