Fighting rages in Libya: is it heading towards full-blown civil war?
- Battle for capital Tripoli escalates as a military assault on the city by the eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter leads to dozens of deaths
- US withdraws some of its troops from the country, citing deteriorating ‘security conditions on the ground’
Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter pushed on with his assault on Tripoli on Monday, defying international calls for a ceasefire days into a battle that has left dozens dead, while locals reported war planes bombing the capital’s airport.
At least 35 people have been killed in fighting since Hiftar’s forces launched their assault on Thursday, Libya’s UN-backed government said.
Oil-rich Libya has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the Nato-backed overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Hiftar, a former Gaddafi military chief, has emerged as a major player, his self-styled Libyan National Army backing an administration in the country’s east in opposition to the UN-backed government in Tripoli.
Having seized control of much of eastern Libya and buoyed by a series of victories in the south, Hiftar turned his sights on Tripoli this month, vowing to “cleanse” it of “terrorists and mercenaries”.