Libyan Warlord’s Aircraft Attack Tripoli Airport, Defying U.S. Pressure by Jared Malsin – Wall Street Journal
Forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar carried out an airstrike against the Libyan capital’s only functioning airport, as the rogue military commander defied U.S. calls to halt an assault on Tripoli.
Mr. Haftar, who opposes an internationally recognized government based in Tripoli, ordered the attack on the capital last week, a move that plunged Libya into one of its worst crises since the death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. It has threatened to return the country to all-out civil war as forces allied to the Tripoli government raced to defend the capital.
The fighting has killed at least 21 people and wounded 27 others since the offensive began last week, according to the health ministry in Tripoli. In addition, 2,800 people have been forced to flee, the United Nations said.
The battle pits two sides both marshaling loosely organized forces that are light on air power and heavy weapons. Both sides are believed to control a handful of warplanes, including aging Russian MiGs. They have relied on international support for air power in the past, although no foreign powers have launched air raids during the recent fighting…