CAIRO (Sputnik) – The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya is building a base near Tunisia to escape to if the Libyan National Army (LNA) seizes the capital, a spokesman for the eastern-based administration said Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference in Cairo, Mismari said that the LNA was in control of 95 percent of Libya. He estimated that some 7,000 LNA fighters had died since the start of the siege of the capital in April last year.
The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has attacked Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, killing Turkish servicemen, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said earlier in the day.
According to the spokesman, the LNA is not violating the ceasefire, as it is conducting operations only in response to provocations by the forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA).
The spokesman noted that the LNA had attacked the Misrata area, destroying “everything that equates to the Turkish presence”, including military storage facilities.
Libya has been torn apart between the two rival governments for years since the overthrow and assassination of the country’s long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Tensions escalated last year after the Libyan National Army began its operation to retake the capital of Tripoli, where the rival Government of National Accord is seated.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
