Libya: 3 civilians hurt as Haftar forces shell Tripoli

By Hamdi Musa

ISTANBUL (AA) - Three civilians were injured in a shelling by Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces in capital Tripoli, Libya’s U.N.-recognized government said on Saturday.

A house in Tripoli’s southwestern al-Swani neighborhood was damaged in the shelling and three members of a family sustained injuries, the Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a statement.

The GNA has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since last April, with more than 1,000 lives lost in the violence.

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

On Jan. 12, the parties to the conflict announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by Turkey and Russia.

Talks for a permanent cease-fire, hosted by Russia on Jan. 14, proved inconclusive after Haftar left Moscow without signing a deal.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara.