Haftar's forces claim responsibility for attack on Libyan parliament

A Libyan paramilitary group led by former Major General Khalifa Haftar announced late on Sunday that it was responsible for carrying out the attack on the Libyan parliament in what appears to be an attempted coup.

Haftar’s paramilitary forces, known as the National Libyan Army, issued a statement saying that they are against appointing Ahmad Maitig as Prime Minister of Libya.

The militia also declared that it had replaced the law-making body and is calling for the formation of a constitutional committee to draft a new Constitution.

Eyewitnesses reported heavy gunfire early on Sunday near the head offices of the parliament in the south of Tripoli.

A parliamentarian said that plainclothes members of a militia drove all officials out of their offices, but did not identify who the armed forces were.

It is worth mentioning that armed groups have targeted the Libyan parliament several times in recent weeks. It not clear whether or not this incident is linked to another attack by Haftar’s forces against Islamists in Benghazi, in the east of the country.

Haftar’s forces, backed by warplanes and helicopters, attacked Islamist groups in Benghazi on Friday, killing at least 70 people and injuring 140 more.