Foreigners Flee Libya: 22 Killed in Battle for Tripoli Airport

Nations Scramble to Evacuate Stranded Citizens Amid Growing War

Nations across the world are scrambling to get the last of their citizens out of Libya while the getting is good, as a nascent civil war continues to escalate, with the battles centering on major cities like Tripoli and Benghazi.

Today, the fighting again was over control of the Tripoli Airport, where different militias battled over control of the important hub and nearby business district. At least 22 were killed and scores of others wounded.

That may just be the tip of the iceberg, as the fuel depot in the area continues to burn, and the Oil Ministry expresses concern that explosions could add to the death toll.

A lot of Western nations have already completed their evacuations, with Britain sending a Royal Navy ship to take the last 100 citizens out of Tripoli today. Egypt, meanwhile, is airlifting some 1,800 of their citizens out of the region after they fled to nearby Tunisia.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.