Tripoli said to be set for offensive on warlord Haftar

By Aydogan Kalabalik

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The forces of Libya’s internationally recognized government will shift from a defensive to an offensive stance against the militia of warlord Khalifa Haftar, said the government's interior minister on Tuesday.

Speaking on Libyan TV channel 218, Fathi Bashagha said the Government of National Accord (GNA) will take further steps to repel Haftar's militia from around Tripoli, Libya’s capital, where the GNA is based.

He added that Haftar's militia targeted Tripoli and the capital’s Mitiga Airport with nearly 60 rockets.

Two Libyan airlines confirmed on Tuesday that some of their planes were hit with shrapnel by Haftar shelling the airport.

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.

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

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara