SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Fajr Dawn or Libya Dawn an alliance of Islamist militias said it took control of Tripoli’s international airport from a rival militia in a battle that threatens to plunge Libya deeper into chaos. The announcement by Fajr Libya came hours after warplanes struck them near and around the airport, killing at least 13 people and wounding 30 others, the Al Nabaa television reported. It wasn’t clear who was behind the airstrike, the second of its kind in about a week. Libya Dawn blamed Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The statement on the group’s Facebook page said its “lions” charged the airport and “entered its halls and it’s been completely cleansed of all criminals.” The Islamist group’s spokesman, Mohamed Ghariani, told Al Nabaa that the militia are in control of most locations in Tripoli, including the Interior Ministry near the airport. The claims couldn’t be independently verified and the government had yet to comment.
Libya’s neighbors — Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt — are boosting security along their borders. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry denied it was behind the airstrike, while condemning the reported execution of an Egyptian man. The man was shown in a video posted on Youtube being shot in a stadium in the eastern stronghold of Derna in a Taliban-style execution after being accused of murder.
Source: Bloomberg News