Explosion kills 3 of Haftar’s forces in central Libya

Three soldiers, loyal to the East Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar, were killed yesterday in a car bomb in the central city of Al-Jufra.

Fouad Al-Mahdi Rashid, a member of the Al-Jufra Municipal Council, told the Anadolu Agency that another soldier was injured in the blast, which he said had targeted a security checkpoint in the town of Waddan.

Rashid added that the explosion was caused – according to preliminary information – by a car bomb. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, he added.

On 23 August, at least 12 of Haftar’s troops were killed in an attack claimed by Daesh in Al-Jufra town of Houn. Haftar’s forces control large areas of eastern and southern Libya.

Libya descended in lawlessness when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a NATO-backed revolution in 2011. Uncontrolled factions have since fought for power with war breaking out between different alliances and Libya’s tribal factions. The UN-backed Government of National Accord chosen to implement law and order in the country has failed to ensure its legitimacy.

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