An air raid claimed by a renegade general’s forces targeted the Libyan capital’s sole operational airport on Monday, a day after militants were driven out of a key western town.
A low-flying fighter fired two missiles at Mitiga airport, which is in an eastern suburb of Tripoli and held by Fajr Libya, an anti-government Muslim militia coalition which controls the capital, witnesses said.
A security source said the strike caused no damage to the terminal or runway, although flights were temporarily diverted to Misrata airport, 200km east of Tripoli.
Libyan carriers moved civilian flights to Mitiga after Tripoli’s main international airport was damaged by fierce fighting in the capital between state-backed fighters and Fajr Libya in July.
FIGHTING IN THE WEST
Fighting persists between the two sides in western Libya, where pro-government militias are supported by forces loyal to retired general Khalifa Haftar, and air raids frequently target Fajr Libya positions.
“It was our air forces which carried out the air raid on Mitiga base” held by “terrorist groups,” said General Saqr al-Jarrushi, a spokesman for Haftar, referring to Fajr Libya.
QADDAFI TOPPLED
More than three years after dictator Muammar Qaddafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed revolt, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and run by rival governments and parliaments.
On Sunday, fighters loyal to Libya’s internationally recognized government seized the western town of Kekla after more than 40 days of clashes with militants, both sides said.
Pro-government fighters from the western town of Zintan, backed by parts of the army and air force loyal to Thani, launched a counteroffensive last month to wrest back control of the strategic outpost of Kekla.
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