Haftar’s aggression on Tripoli displaced 500,000: Gov’t

By Diana Shalhoub

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Around 500,000 Libyans have been displaced and around 120,000 houses were damaged as a result of warlord Khalifa Haftar's militia aggression on the capital Tripoli, the Libyan government said on Thursday.

Abdul-Bari Shinbaru, Libya's undersecretary of the Ministry of Local government, said in a statement the number of displaced families is 85,000.

He also stated that almost half of Tripoli's population, between 2.5 to 3 million, were under the fire and shelling of Haftar's militia, especially in southern parts of the capital.

The government launched Operation Peace Storm in March to counter attacks on the capital, and recently repelled the 14-month assault. It also regained strategic locations, including Al-Watiya airbase and the city of Tarhuna.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a political deal led by the UN.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara