Libyan government airstrike hits Haftar militias

By Aydogan Kalabalik

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Libya's UN-recognized government on Friday targeted a bus carrying militias loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar in an airstrike.

Muhammed Kununu, the military spokesman for the Government of National Accord (GNA), said in a statement Libyan government forces carried out an air operation in the Nesma region, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of the capital Tripoli and hit the bus.

No further information was given about the casualties.

GNA forces carried out three different operations earlier on Friday against Haftar militias.

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 UAE, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.

Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a failed offensive to take Tripoli last April, which caused bloodshed and suffering but stalled on the outskirts of the city.