Haftar Forces Announce Tripoli Air Raid, Govt. Fighters Declare Counterattack
Forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said Sunday they carried out their first air strike on a suburb of Tripoli, where loyalist fighters announced a "counteroffensive" to defend the capital.
The announcement of the air raid was made on the Facebook page of the "media office" of Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army as fighting raged around 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Tripoli.
Forces loyal to Haftar have pressed on with their assault since Thursday despite international calls to halt hostilities.
In the capital, the spokesman for forces loyal to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Colonel Mohamed Gnounou, said that counteroffensive "Volcano of Anger" was aimed at "purging all Libyan cities of aggressor and illegitimate forces."
Libya has struggled to counter unrest since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, leaving dozens of militia to fill the void and ally with either the GNA or a rival administration in the east backed by Haftar.
GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj on Saturday accused Haftar of betraying him and warned of a "war without a winner."
Source: Agence France Presse
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