Libya: Warplane of Haftar forces downed

By Said Ibicioglu

LIBYA (AA) – A warplane belonging to forces loyal to East Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar was downed on Saturday and its pilot captured, said Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

The MIG-23 fighter aircraft was downed along the Yarmouk front by GNA troops, said the Facebook page of the GNA-led Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation.

The aircraft was downed south of the city of Al-Zawiya (45 kilometers/28 miles west of the capital of Tripoli), it said, adding that the pilot was captured after he bailed out.

In April, Haftar’s forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the GNA but has so far failed to progress beyond the city’s outskirts.

According to UN data, over 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and more than 5,000 injured.

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

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin