- Sputnik International
Africa
Get the latest Africa news from Sputnik: breaking news, photos, videos, analysis, and features.

Air Traffic at Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport Suspended Due to Shelling

© AP Photo / Mohammed Ben KhalifaBlack smoke billows over the skyline as a fire at the oil depot for the airport rages out of control after being struck in the crossfire of warring militias battling for control of the airfield, in Tripoli,
Black smoke billows over the skyline as a fire at the oil depot for the airport rages out of control after being struck in the crossfire of warring militias battling for control of the airfield, in Tripoli, - Sputnik International
Subscribe
CAIRO (Sputnik) – Mitiga International Airport in the Libyan capital of Tripoli said on Thursday it had suspended air traffic after being attacked.
"Air traffic was suspended at Mitiga International Airport due to continuous shelling", the airport administration wrote on Facebook.

The airport's operation is often disrupted by the ongoing fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli between the two rival forces in the country — the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The news comes just a day after the LNA announced it had shot down a Turkish drone in the southern part of Tripoli, stating that Ankara had violated the truce declared in the region.

© AP Photo / Mohammad HannonLibyans wave the national flag during commemorations to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi in Benghazi, Libya, Friday, Feb, 15, 2013
Air Traffic at Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport Suspended Due to Shelling - Sputnik International
Libyans wave the national flag during commemorations to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi in Benghazi, Libya, Friday, Feb, 15, 2013

The situation in Libya remains tense since the ouster and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. At the moment, the Tripoli-based GNA controls the western part of the country, while the government in Tobruk backed by the commander of the LNA, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, governs the East of Libya.

The conflict between the two sides deteriorated in January after Ankara deployed its forces to Libya to back the GNA, claiming that the LNA had violated a ceasefire between the sides, while Haftar called for mobilisation against foreign intervention.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала