Three civilians, including a child, were killed today when the Misrata militia attacked the Libyan town of Bani Walid on behalf of the nation’s Defense Ministry. Several others were also wounded in the attack.

The attack came after the Defense Ministry issued an ultimatum demanding that the town hand over whoever was responsible for the death of a detained rebel fighter, who died two weeks ago in detention.

Several militia factions have sacked Bani Walid since the end of last year’s civil war, calling the town a site of “Gadhafi loyalists.” Misrata’s militia has been responsible for a number of attacks on the town.

The town is noteworthy as one of the last to fall during the civil war, and its current rulers, the Warfallah Elders Council, still fly the Gadhafi-era flag of Libya. There was no indication what, if anything, the Misrata fighters were aiming at in today’s attack, and random strikes into the town are of course nothing unusual, but just business as usual in 2012 Libya.

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