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A group of 60 of Tunisians have been released from detention in Libya, leaving more than 100 still held there, the foreign ministry in Tunis has revealed.

Some 170 Tunisian workers were detained by militants on Saturday in Tripoli, in apparent retaliation against the arrest of a Libyan national in a Tunisian airport. 

Tunisian foreign ministry official Nofel al-Obeidi confirmed to al-Araby al-Jadeed that 60 detainees had been released, adding that promises had been made that more Tunisians would be released in the next few hours.

The foreign ministry released a statement on Thursday telling the Tunisian community in Libya to "exercise extreme caution" when travelling through the country and to avoid "areas of tension".

The statement also advised civilians to "come back to Tunisia" if need be.

Many Tunisians work in Libya, which is controlled by rival governments at either end of the country and is home to several armed militias competing for influence.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.