UPDATE 2 - Libya: Haftar militias bomb Tripoli, kill 6 civilians

REVISES DEATH TOLL

By Walid Abdullah and Aydogan Kalabalik

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - At least six civilians were killed Wednesday when militias loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar shelled Tripoli twice, the municipal council in the southern residential area of Abu Salim said in a statement.

Health Ministry media advisor Amin Al Hashemi said 27 civilians were wounded in the attacks, including children.

Shells also landed on a coastal road in the town of Tajura, he said, adding the road is the only one linking Tripoli with surrounding areas in the east.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed fires in places where rockets fell and black smoke could be seen rising from the region.

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.

The government launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks against the capital.