Viola Fahmy
30 July 2019•Update: 07 August 2019
TRIPOLI
A Libyan military commander on Tuesday accused Khalifa Haftar, who commands rival forces in eastern Libya, of bringing in foreign troops to attack the capital Tripoli.
"There is intelligence information about launching airstrikes [on Tripoli] by bringing foreign parties [into Libya]," Osama al-Juwaili, commander of the military West Zone of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), said.
He, however, did not elaborate on the identity of the foreign forces, saying that his forces have taken "unpredictable measures" against the possible attacks.
Since early April, forces loyal to Haftar have been launching a campaign to capture Tripoli from the GNA forces.
Clashes between the two sides since then have left more than 1,000 people dead and about 5,500 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Commenting on the seized French weapons in Gharyan, the commander said the Libyan Presidential Council has officially asked France to issue a clarification in this regard.
"The French said that they were unusable weapons that will be destroyed, but Libya is not a landfill. This is unconvincing," he said.
GNA forces seized four French missiles when it overran a camp of Haftar forces in June.
France earlier this month officially denied providing missiles to forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar in Libya’s east.
Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power.
The oil-rich country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and the Tripoli-based GNA, which enjoys UN recognition.
*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
