Libyan army hits Janjaweed militias south of Tripoli

By Enes Canli

ANKARA (AA) – Targeting the militias of warlord Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan Army killed five Sudanese Janjaweed militants, the country’s military announced Sunday.

The army carried out an airstrike on the Nesme region, 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of the capital Tripoli, said a statement by the Libyan Army-led Operation Rage of Volcano.

In addition to the Sudanese militants killed, three armed vehicles were also destroyed, it added.

In a report published Saturday, Anadolu Agency documented the presence of mercenaries in Libya from neighboring Sudan fighting for Haftar.

The Libyan Army recently made gains against Haftar's militias, which are supported by France, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya’s government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led political deal. Since April 2019, the government has been under attack by Haftar’s forces, based in eastern Libya, and more than 1,000 people have been killed in the violence.