Libya: One soldier killed in attack by Haftar militia

TRIPOLI

One soldier was killed and two others were wounded on Sunday in a missile attack carried out by forces loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Amin al-Hashemi, a spokesman for the Health Ministry of Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), told Anadolu Agency that Haftar’s forces launched the attack on a region south of Tripoli.

He said a family living in a building near the attack was evacuated.

On Saturday, GNA forces launched a military operation to recapture Tarhuna, a town of strategic value for Haftar and his last major stronghold in the area surrounding Tripoli.

Tarhuna is a major focal point for Haftar’s militias in their onslaught against Tripoli as well as for their supply lines from Al-Jufra airbase.

The GNA has been under attack by Haftar's forces since last April, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence. It launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks on the capital.

Since the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara