Libya’s unity govt says ‘foreign air force’ hit key base

TRIPOLI: Libya’s UN recognised government Sunday condemned overnight air raids against a recently recaptured strategic air base in the west of the country, alleging they were carried out by a “foreign air force”.

Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) seized back the Al-Watiya airbase, 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, from troops aligned with eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar in May this year.

Haftar´s forces allege Turkey — a key GNA backer — has subsequently made use of the base to help GNA loyalists to repel an offensive the strongman launched against Tripoli in April last year.

“The raids last night against Al-Watiya base were carried out by a... foreign air force in support of the war criminal in a miserable and desperate attempt to achieve a morale boosting victory” for Haftar´s forces, GNA deputy defence minister Salah Namrush said in a statement.

A “response, in the right place and at the right time” will serve as a future deterrent for such acts, Namrush added, without specifying which foreign air force was suspected to be behind the raid. Citing military sources, pro-Haftar media had earlier said the raids were carried out by “unknown planes” that targeted a Turkish aerial defence system installed at Al-Watiya. These sources were also quoted as saying Turkish soldiers deployed at the base had suffered casualties.

But Turkey´s state news agency Anadolu, quoting an unnamed GNA military official, said the raid against Al-Watiya was carried out by “unidentified planes” and that there were no casualties. “Materials recently deployed to reinforce anti-aerial capacities were damaged,” Anadolu added.

It was not possible to independently verify the various claims. Plunged into chaos by the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed its longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi, oil-rich Libya has two rival administrations. Haftar´s forces are backed by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. His fighters withdrew from the southern outskirts of Tripoli and the entire west of the country in June after a string of battlefield defeats to the Turkish-backed GNA.