Heavy shelling in Tripoli

Residents of Libyan capital say shelling is among the hardest since the two sides said they have agreed ceasefire in January, forcing evacuation of patients from hospital.
Friday 28/02/2020
Damaged houses from the bombardments
The battle for Tripoli intensifies

TRIPOLI - Bombardment of the Libyan capital Tripoli intensified on Friday, residents said, forcing the evacuation of some patients from a hospital near the capital's only functioning airport.

Residents said the shelling was among the hardest since the two sides said they had agreed a ceasefire in January, as blasts of artillery echoed in the city centre and black smoke billowed near Mitiga airport held by the government.

The fighting, between the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based leader Khalifa Haftar and the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, came as the United Nations tried to hold peace talks in Geneva.

Shelling of Mitiga airport has forced a suspension of flights for hours at a time on consecutive days this week and new damage to a hangar was visible after Friday's bombardment.

The town council of Abu Salim, a Tripoli neighbourhood, posted pictures of damaged houses on Facebook, saying a woman and child had been taken to hospital.

Haftar said a week ago he would be ready for a ceasefire if Turkish and Syrian mercenaries left the country and Ankara stopped supplying weapons to Libya's UN-recognised recognised government in Tripoli.

"A ceasefire (would be) the result of a number of conditions being fulfilled ...the withdrawal of Syrian and Turkish mercenaries, an end to Turkish arms supplies to Tripoli, and the liquidation of terrorist groups (in Tripoli)," said Haftar.

The LNA is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while the GNA is supported by Turkey and mercenaries it has brought from Syria. Haftar began his attack on Tripoli last year in the latest round of fighting in Libya since the 2011 toppling of strongman Moamer Gathafi.

At a summit in Berlin last month, world powers agreed that hostilities must stop in Libya while a political process takes place. Ankara has since accused Haftar of violating the ceasefire, saying its guarantees regarding a United Nations arms embargo to Libya were dependent on a durable truce.

Erdogan said there were fighters from the Syrian National Army working with Turkish personnel. The Syrian National Army is a Turkey-backed rebel group fighting against pro-Damascus forces in northern Syria.