Libya: 3 civilians killed in attack by Haftar militias

Smoke rises after warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces launched an attack on a port near the Martyrs’ Square, where celebration events marking the 9th anniversary of February 17 revolution are held, in eastern Tripoli, Libya on February 18, 2020. [Aydoğan Kalabalık – Anadolu Agency]

An attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan killed three civilians, officials said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The rocket attack on a civilian settlement in the Ain Zara region of Tripoli, the capital, also left three people injured, Amin al-Hashimi, a spokesman for the Government of National Accord (GNA), told Anadolu Agency.

Last week, GNA forces launched a military operation to recapture Tarhuna, a town of strategic value for Haftar and his last major stronghold in the area surrounding Tripoli.

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Tarhuna is a major focal point for Haftar’s militias in their onslaught against Tripoli as well as for their supply lines from Al-Jufra airbase.

The internationally recognized GNA has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since last April, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence. It launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks on the capital.

Since the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

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