Warplanes strike military sites in Libya’s Misrata city

By Hamdi Yildiz

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Fighter planes carried out airstrikes on military sites in the western city of Misrata, Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said Thursday.

Mustafa al-Majai, a spokesman for the GNA’s Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) operation, told Anadolu Agency that some old air defense sites and battalion camps were hit.

Al-Majai did not say who the warplanes belonged to but noted there were no casualties.

In April, forces loyal to eastern Libya commander Khalifa Haftar launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli, but they have so far failed to progress beyond the city's outskirts.

However, on Dec. 12, Haftar announced he had ordered his militants to launch a "decisive battle" to capture the city.

According to UN data, more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured since the start of the operation.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

*Writing by Davut Demircan