The Eastern Libyan-based forces of Gen. Khalifa Hafter, who are engaged
in an ongoing attempt to take over Libya from the UN-backed Tripoli
government continued their offensive over the weekend.
At least 90 pro-government fighters were killed, and 150 others were wounded in fighting, mostly in and around the key city of Misrata, the home of one of the main pro-government militias.
A number of major airstrikes were reported against Misrata, and seem to
have caused a lot of the casualties. Speculation is that the UAE was
supporting these strikes, as they are one of the major funders of
Hafter’s forces.
Interest in moving against Misrata is unsurprising for Hafter, as the
Misrata militia is seen as leaning toward the pro-Islamist side of the
government, while Hafter tends to attack anything remotely Islamist on
the grounds that it’s probably terrorism.
Hafter Forces Have Killed Over 90 Libyan Govt Forces in Two Days
Heavy airstrikes, clashes reported around key port of Misrata
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.
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