Libya: Haftar militias target Tripoli's Mitiga Airport

By Aydogan Kalabalık

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Militias loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar targeted Mitiga International Airport in the capital Tripoli on Monday.

They fired nine rockets, according to local media.

One of the rockets hit an area near the airport, causing fear and panic among passengers and employees.

The airport’s administration announced on Facebook that flights have been suspended again due to the attacks.

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 Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

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

But talks for a permanent ceasefire hosted by Russia on Jan. 14 proved inconclusive after Haftar left Moscow without signing a deal.

The first round of political talks on the Libya peace process started last Wednesday in Geneva.

The talks followed the completion of a second round of UN-sponsored military talks on Libya in Geneva between the warring sides that ended on Feb. 23.

The Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks were in a 5+5 format with five representatives of the GNA and five from Haftar’s forces.

The JMC is one of three tracks the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is working on in addition to economic and political tracks in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2510 (2020) and calls upon the two parties to reach a lasting ceasefire agreement.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut