Libya:Flights suspended at Mitiga airport over shelling

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) - Flights at Libya’s Mitiga International Airport on Monday were suspended “until further notice” after it was shelled, the airport’s management announced Monday evening.

Last Tuesday, the Mitiga International Airport’s management announced that the airport had been reopened for air traffic after hours of closure over being hit by shells.

The Tripoli-based airport is located 8 kilometers from Tripoli’s city center. It is the only operational airport in the Libyan capital.

The airport has been frequently suffering from closure over attacks by the Khalifa Haftar- affiliated forces which seek to seize the Libyan capital from the UN-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).

When flights halted in Migita airport, all flights are transferred to Misrata International Airport.

Since early April, forces loyal to Haftar have been launching a campaign to capture Tripoli from GNA forces.

Clashes between the two sides since then have left more than 1,000 people dead and about 5,500 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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

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