Libyan officials say heavy fighting has raged around the capital Tripoli over the past 24 hours.
FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2017 file photo, rebel Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia. Heavy fighting raged over the past 24 hours between rebel Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter, who is attempting to take control of the capital Tripoli, and an array of militias loosely allied with the U.N.-supported government based there, officials said Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019.
The fighting has threatened to plunge Libya into another bout of violence rivaling the scale of the 2011 conflict that ousted and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. In the chaos that followed, the country was divided, with a weak U.N.-supported administration in Tripoli and a rival government in the east aligned with the LNA.
The LNA’s media office also said it shot down a Turkish-made drone over the town of Ain Zara, just south of the capital. Hifter forces captured a major military camp from the Tripoli-allied militias and clashes were continuing around the camp, officials from both sides said. Since his troops marched toward Tripoli in April, Hifter has only been able to lay siege to the city, failing to claim it from the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. In past months, the battle lines have changed very little, with both sides dug in and shelling one another in the southern reaches of the capital. They have also sought support from their regional and international backers.
“The Russian fighters’ toughness, lethal techniques and coordination discipline have instilled fear in the anti-Hifter forces,” said Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert at The Netherlands Institute of International Relations. “Now, Hifter and all foreign states backing him have become dramatically more confident that Hifter's brigades will enter Tripoli within the foreseeable future.”
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Head of Libya parliament says Turkey-Libyan deal invalidThe head of Libya's eastern-based parliament on Thursday said he disagreed ...
Leer más »
Head of Libya parliament says Turkey-Libyan deal invalidThe head of Libya's eastern-based parliament on Thursday said he disagreed ...
Leer más »
Microsoft is pushing forward with JEDI recruiting despite Amazon's legal fightWhile Amazon challenges the JEDI contract in court, Microsoft is staffing up so it can handle development of the underlying infrastructure.
Leer más »
Turkey says Tripoli government has not asked yet for troop deploymentLibya has not made a request to Turkey for sending troops to back forces of the ...
Leer más »
Violent protests rage in India for fourth day over citizenship lawDemonstrators in eastern India set fire to more than a dozen buses and vandalize...
Leer más »
'Project Runway' Recap: Order It Animal StyleProject Runway Season 18, Episode 2 Recap: Order It Animal Style
Leer más »