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Four dead, 20 wounded in Tripoli air raids: unity govt
TRIPOLI, April 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Air raids by the self-styled Libyan
National Army against the capital on Saturday night killed four people and
wounded 20 others, Libya’s internationally recognised unity government said.
But Amin al-Hachemi, a spokesman for the Government of National Accord’s
healthy ministry, on Sunday warned that “the death toll could increase in the
coming hours”.
A pro-GNA military source said the victims were civilians.
“Several sites were targeted by air strikes late Saturday night, causing
victims among civilians,” the source told AFP.
“Most of the strikes hit areas in the district of Abou Slim… (but) none
hit military targets.”
Strongman Khalifa Haftar’s LNA launched an offensive against Tripoli, the
seat of the GNA, on April 4.
But after initial gains, Haftar’s forces have encountered stiff resistance
on the southern outskirts and his troops have been pushed back in some areas.
At least 278 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the
clashes, according to a toll released Wednesday by the World Health
Organization.
The GNA accuses Haftar of using foreign planes to carry out air strikes,
without naming a country of origin.
“This criminal conceals his failures and those of his soldiers at the gates
of Tripoli by resorting to foreign aviation to hit unarmed civilians in the
city,” spokesman Mohanad Younes said on the GNA’s official Facebook page.
Haftar’s offensive has sharpened fault lines in policy towards Libya among
world powers.
On April 18, Russia and the United States opposed a British bid backed by
France and Germany at the UN Security Council to demand a ceasefire in the
North African country.
The White House revealed the next day that Donald Trump had reached out
personally to Haftar in a phone call, during which the US president
“recognised Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and
securing Libya’s oil resources”.
The country has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed uprising that
deposed and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1644 hrs