Pro-Haftar forces target S. Libya's capital

TRIPOLI

Fierce clashes erupted in Libya’s Ain Zara area in the south of capital Tripoli between forces loyal to Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and those loyal to Khalifa Haftar, who commands forces based in the country’s east, according to eyewitnesses.

Described as the fiercest since the clashes began, the recent clashes, erupted Tuesday evening when, the internationally-recognized, GNA forces attempted to recapture from Haftar forces some sites it lost along the last two days.

The clashes have witnessed using all sorts of weapons and erupted in a residential area, the witnesses said.

Many of the families based in the Ain Zara area could not leave their houses due to the fierce military clashes, according to the witnesses, who added that, the Haftar-led forces have captured some streets in the area.

The number od casualties over the clashes have not been announced yet.

For its part, the Haftar forces announced they have advanced in the neighborhoods of Ain Zara, announcing their control over the Al-Fitra Street and the headquarters of the 42nd Battalion affiliated with the GNA.

Earlier clashes between forces loyal to Libya’s Tripoli-based GNA and those loyal to Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in the country’s east, continued Tuesday, according to local sources.

“GNA warplanes are now targeting pro-Haftar forces deployed in Tripoli’s southern Sog al-Khmies district,” a local military source told Anadolu Agency.

“The air raids, however, have failed to cause damage due to the use by pro-Haftar forces of anti-aircraft batteries,” the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.

According to local media reports, GNA forces are also targeting Haftar’s supply lines linking Tripoli to the city of Ghariyan (located roughly 100 kilometers south of the capital), which pro-Haftar forces are reportedly using as a forward base.

Earlier Tuesday, warplanes affiliated with Haftar’s forces struck Tripoli’s international airport without causing casualties, local witnesses said.

Late last week, Haftar announced the launch of an ambitious campaign to capture Tripoli, where the GNA is headquartered.

By Monday, however, the campaign appeared to have lost momentum, with pro-GNA forces recapturing two military bases near the capital after they were briefly seized by Haftar’s forces.

The two sides have also continued to trade blows over three strategic airports near Tripoli.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is associated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN support.