The announcement of the air raid was made on the Facebook page of the “media office” of Haftar‘s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) as fighting raged around 50 kilometres south of Tripoli.

Forces loyal to Haftar have pressed on with their assault since Thursday despite international calls to halt hostilities.

Fighting between rival forces in southern Tripoli has so far killed at least 25 and wounded 80, a spokesman for the health ministry said Monday.

On Sunday, the US announced it had temporarily withdrawn some of its forces in the country due to “security conditions on the ground”.

A small contingent of American troops has been based in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat Islamic State (IS) group and al Qaeda militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.

“The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,” said Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of US Africa Command. “Even with an adjustment of the force, we will continue to remain agile in support of existing US strategy.”

He did not provide details on the number of US troops that have been withdrawn or how many remain in the country.

India also evacuated a small contingent of peacekeepers. The Indian foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, said the country’s 15 Central Reserve Police Force peacekeepers were evacuated Saturday from Tripoli because the “situation in Libya has suddenly worsened” and fighting has moved into the capital city.

Civilians fleeing

Since the unrest started on April 4, an estimated 2,200 people have fled the fighting south of Tripoli, the United Nations humanitarian office said, adding that many civilians are trapped and cut off from emergency services.

“The fast increasing deployment of forces could potentially result in significant population displacement,” it said in a report.

The LNA launched a surprise offensive against the capital last week, a move that could potentially drag the country back into civil war. Libya has been gripped by unrest since the 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In recent years, the country has been governed by rival authorities in the east and in Tripoli, in the west, each backed by various armed groups.

Clashes raged in the mainly farmland region of Wadi Raba on the weekend and the destroyed old international airport south of the capital.

Late on Sunday, the health ministry of the UN-backed Libyan government of National Accord said that clashes in the southern part of the capital had resulted in at least 21 deaths and dozens of wounded, but did not specify whether the victims were civilians or fighters.

A day earlier, Haftar’s force said that 14 of its personnel had been killed, while the Libyan Red Crescent reported the death of one of its doctors.

Calls for truce

The latest offensive marks a major escalation in the Libyan crisis amid fears of heavy fighting in the heart of the capital city.

The UN mission to Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday called for a truce for two hours in southern Tripoli to evacuate civilians and wounded, it said in a statement.

But the truce was not observed by evening, according to a UN official.

The US also called for Haftar’s forces to stand down.

“We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Sunday.

“This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans,” he added.

UN-backed government launches ‘Volcano of Anger’

The strike came shortly after the rival UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a counteroffensive to defend Tripoli from Haftar’s forces.

At a press briefing in the Libyan capital, a spokesman loyal to the GNA announced the launch of operation “Volcano of Anger” against Haftar’s forces.

The counteroffensive was aimed at “purging all Libyan cities of aggressor and illegitimate forces,” said Colonel Mohamed Gnounou.

In the past, Haftar has struck deals with armed factions outside Tripoli to advance his forces. But gaining control of Tripoli – Haftar’s ultimate prize – is likely to be more complicated.

Armed groups allied to the Tripoli government have moved more machinegun-mounted pickup trucks from Misrata to Tripoli to defend the city against Haftar’s forces. Misrata is known for its spirit of resistance against “old regime” figures such as Haftar – who served in Muammar Gaddafi’s army – since 2011, when pro-Gaddafi forces besieged the city for three months.

No winner

Libya has struggled to counter unrest since the 2011 ouster of Gaddafi, leaving dozens of militia to fill the void and ally with either the GNA or a rival administration in the east backed by Haftar.

GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj on Saturday accused Haftar of betraying him and warned of a “war without a winner”.

G7 foreign ministers meeting in the French coastal city of Dinard on Saturday called on Haftar to halt his offensive on Tripoli. But they failed to detail enforcement mechanisms if the Libyan strongman refused to commit to a political solution.

Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli Thursday while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in the capital to help organise a planned national reconciliation conference between rival Libyan factions.

Libya today is divided between two rival governments: one in the eastern city of Tobruk backed by Haftar and the internationally recognised GNA based in Tripoli. But the competing administrations are not the only ones vying for power. In the vast, sparsely populated south, tribal rivalries spar for control of lucrative cross-border smuggling and human trafficking routes.

While Haftar has sold himself to the West as an anti-Islamist fighter, experts say he has close links to a branch of Salafists, called Madkhalists.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

Source:France24.com