An airstrike on Sunday by forces loyal to former Libyan National Army (LNA) general Khalifa Haftar has killed between 20 and 43 people, including civilians, according to reports. The strike hit the town of Murzuq in southern Libya.
Middle East Monitor reported that 20 were killed and 35 injured, while Reuters reported at least 43 killed and another 51 wounded.
“The air strike resulted in 43 killed and 51 wounded. This is only an initial toll of casualties,” Murzuq municipal council member Mohamed Omar told Reuters. The LNA forces are based in the east and are struggling to take over Tripoli, where the official government resides.
The LNA denied targeting civilians, but officials in Murzuq said that a town hall meeting where tribal leaders were meeting was targeted.
Taking Tripoli
LNA forces loyal to Haftar have been trying to take Tripoli for the last four months. Haftar served under Muammar Gaddafi until he was removed from office in 2011.
In a statement, the European Union said that the Murzuq strike had “claimed the lives of civilians,” stating that those who have committed war crimes should be brought to justice.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it was “extremely concerned by reports on the continuation of acts of violence in Murzuq, including a number of air strikes.”
Haftar is backed militarily by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates with the support of some western nations who see him as fighting against Islamists. Neither the European Union nor UNSMIL mentioned the LNA in their statements.
Stopping the LNA
The UN has been limited in its efforts to help Libya because of the frequent airstrikes, and parts of Libya remain under Haftar’s control. The conditions are worsening the chaos in Libya — elections were supposed to have been held last year, but have been delayed because of the fighting.
Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj of the UN-backed Government of National Accord has said he would strongly defend Libya against the LNA. He has characterized Haftar’s actions as “a coup” since Haftar began his push toward Tripoli in April.
A previous air strike in June killed 44 people. Hundreds have died in fighting on the outskirts of the capital since April.
Libya has been torn by strife ever since the 2011 ouster of leader Muammar Gaddafi, which the U.S. supported. Then-President Barack Obama later admitted that failing to plan for the void left by Gaddafi’s removal was the “worst mistake” of his presidency as it left Libya “a mess.”
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