Clashes between rival Libyan forces for control of Tripoli escalated Monday as the death toll from days of fighting rose to at least 51, including both combatants and civilians, and the city’s only functioning airport said it was hit by an airstrike. The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar who launched the push on Tripoli, acknowledged striking Mitiga airport, barely 8 kilometers east of the city center.

Haftar’s forces have clashed with rival militias that support the U.N.-backed government which controls Tripoli and the western part of the country. The U.N. said the latest fighting has so far displaced 3,400 people. The World Health Organization said two doctors were killed trying to “evacuate wounded patients from conflict areas.”

Ibrahim Fadel, an official at Mitiga, said all flights were suspended until further notice following the airstrike. No casualties were reported in the attack.

Maj. Gen. Mohamed al-Manfour of Haftar’s Libyan National Army, told the Libyan Address newspaper they bombed targets at Mitiga after receiving information that the U.N.-backed government forces were preparing to target them.

Source: AFP