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New Raid Hits Libya Capital's Only Working Airport
 [AnNahar] A new air strike hit the Libyan capital's sole operational airport on Tuesday, a day after a raid claimed by forces loyal to a prominent anti-Islamist general, witnesses said.Mitiga air base, in an eastern suburb of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , has been the city's only working airfield since damage from heavy fighting forced the closure of its civilian airport in July. "We heard the roar of a plane then several kabooms around the airport perimeter," a witness told AFP. He had no word on any casualties or damage. On Monday, a low-flying fighter jet fired two missiles at the air base, which, like the rest of the capital, is controlled by Islamist-backed militia opposed to the internationally recognised government. A security source said the strike caused no damage to the terminal or runway, although flights were temporarily diverted to Misrata airport, 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Tripoli. Forces loyal to retired general Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... , who has been leading a separate government-backed offensive against Islamist militia in Libya's second city Bengahzi, said they carried out the Monday air strike. "It was our air forces which carried out the air raid on Mitiga base," held by "terrorist groups", General Saqr al-Jarrushi, a front man for Haftar, told Agence La Belle France Presse. More than three years after dictator Moamer Qadaffy was toppled and killed in a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... -backed revolt, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and run by rival governments and parliaments. The internationally recognised government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani has been based in the remote east of the country since the militia takeover of the capital in August. All three main cities -- Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata -- are largely controlled by militias opposed to Thani's government. Posted by: trailing wife 2014-11-26 |
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