A statement issued today by the Libyan government reveals that they are discussing a “potential request for international forces” to ensure their hold on power, as violence continues to escalate nationwide.
Today, the violence centered on the capital city of Tripoli, where militias ripped through the international airport, destroying 90% of the planes there, and badly damaging the control tower.
The airport had been operating normally through Saturday, and suddenly became a battleground, as militias from Zintan aimed to defend it from militias from the rival city of Misrata. All flights are suspended now and it isn’t clear when, or even if, the Tripoli airport will come back on line.
The militia fighting is part of a growing civil war across the nation, as Gen. Khalifa Hifter aims to take over the nation with his self-proclaimed army. Hifter’s forces are being resisted by Islamists loyal to parliament, though even more extreme Islamist factions are coming into the picture, returning from Iraq and Syria to vie for power.
