Militia attack Libya’s Mitiga airport
Libya’s militia-controlled Mitiga airport was bombed by an aircraft with no reported human or material casualties.
Libya's militia-controlled Mitiga airport was bombed by an aircraft with no reported human or material casualties.
The attack is said to have been carried out by forces loyal to the recently named head of the government's armed forces, Khalifa Haftar.
The Libya Herald quoted the commander of the Libyan air force Saqr Adam Gerushi as saying that the attack on the airport was an act of retaliation to the air attacks on the oil terminals in Sidra and Ras Lanuf, which he blamed on the Misratans.
"The rockets fell near the tanks, resulting in only minor damage."
Reportedly, three missiles were fired at the airport, with one hitting a gate inside the base and the other two damaging the airport ground.
Star Africa quoted the director of Mitiga airport Abu Baker Hmida as saying that a war plane belonging to Khalifa Hafter launched a raid targeting the eastern side of the airport runway, but no casulaties were reported.
Following the destruction of the Tripoli airport last year, Mitiga is the only airport to be operational in the capital currently.
The airport resumed services after suspending operations for an hour.
Islamist militants are also reported to have seized two oil fields in central Libya.
The Gulf News quoted a spokesperson for the oil industry security service Ali al-Hassi as saying: "They targeted the civil airport in Ras Lanuf, and oil tanks in Al Sidra. The rockets fell near the tanks, resulting in only minor damage."
Libya has been embroiled in a political unrest since the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and is a result of a battle between Islamist forces and forces aligned with the Libyan Parliament and General Khalifa Haftar.
