Violence escalates in Libya following Turkey pledge

Fighting has escalated in Libya as warplanes bombed targets in Tripoli and two other cities shortly after the UN-backed government in the capital announced on Thursday that it was deepening military co-operation with Turkey.

Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan strongman who has been trying since April to seize Tripoli, the seat of the UN-backed government, have given militias defending the city a three-day deadline to pull out.

Gen Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army threatened on Friday that unless militias from the city of Misurata left Tripoli by midnight on Sunday, their own city would continue to be targeted “in an unprecedentedly intensive way”.

The LNA ultimatum came after a night of air strikes against targets in Tripoli, Misurata and Sirte. Ahmed al-Mismari, spokesman for the LNA, said they bombed sites used to store Turkish supplied weapons and that the strikes were in response to Thursday’s announcement by the UN-backed Government of National Accord that it was “activating” its recently concluded military accord with Turkey.

 

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