After two-day lull, clashes resume near Libyan capital

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Clashes between Libya’s warring camps have resumed following two days of relative calm, a spokesman for the country’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said Wednesday.

According to GNA spokesman Mustafa al-Mjai, clashes resumed near Tripoli’s international airport between pro-GNA forces and those loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar.

“Our main objective is to establish effective control over the airport and the Qasr Ben Ghashir district south of the capital,” al-Mjai told Anadolu Agency.

Pro-GNA forces also hope to expel Haftar’s forces from the cities of Garyan and Tarhunah, located 100 kilometers south and 90 kilometers southeast of Tripoli respectively, according to the spokesman.

In early April, Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in eastern Libya, launched a wide-ranging campaign to take the capital.

After more than a month of sporadic fighting on Tripoli’s outskirts, however, Haftar's forces have failed to achieve their primary objective, although they have captured several strategic towns and cities in the vicinity.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power.

Since then, the oil-rich country has seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.