- Title: LIBYA-SECURITY/STRIKES Tripoli airport hit as rival forces carry out air strikes
- Date: 3rd March 2015
- Summary: MAITIGA AIRPORT, TRIPOLI, LIBYA (MARCH 3, 2015) (REUTERS) EMERGENCY VEHICLES, WORKERS AT AIRPORT TARMAC HOLE IN THE GROUND MORE OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES, WORKERS AT AIRPORT TARMAC DEBRIS WORKERS AT TARMAC VARIOUS OF WORKERS HOSING TARMAC WITH WATER
- Embargoed: 18th March 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Libya
- Country: Libya
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADPF8K3VY13PF11Y789OUQZR2I
- Story Text: Rival Libyan forces carried out tit-for-tat air strikes on oil terminals and an airport on Tuesday (March 3), escalating their battle for control of the country days before United Nations peace talks were due to start in Morocco.
The OPEC oil producer's oil installations and other key infrastructure are increasingly a target in the conflict which pits two rival governments and their armed forces against each other, nearly four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.
Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni's internationally recognised government and elected parliament have been operating from the city of Tobruk, in the east of the country since rival Libya Dawn forces took over Tripoli in the summer and set up their own administration.
Fighter jets belonging to the Libyan army, loyal to Libya's Tobruk-based government hit Maitiga, Tripoli's airport, air force commander for the recognised government, Saqir El-Jaroshi said.
Jaroshi said the strikes were retaliation for Tripoli forces bombing Zintan, a town loyal to Thinni's government, and also to stop supplies to the militants.
A source at Maitiga said a warplane struck close to the runway but did not cause major damage. Most international airlines stopped flying to Libya and foreign diplomats were pulled out as fighting worsened last year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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