By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 15 April 2015:
Clashes have been reported in Tripoli’s eastern suburb of Tajoura following an accusation by Libya Dawn that local . . .[restrict]forces there, including its Brigade 101, were supporting Khalifa Hafter and the Libyan National Army. Dawn issued an ultimatum yesterday for the brigade to hand over its weapons and headquarters – an ultimatum rejected by 101.
Today’s clashes, near the 101 HQ, are said to have pitted neighbouring Suq Al-Juma forces and those from Misrata against Tajoura. Casualties are as yet unknown.
Tajoura has been split over support for Libya Dawn. The local municipal council, now firmly in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood after independent members, including the former mayor, were pressurised into resigning, backs Dawn, as does a group of the local fighters. The main militias are, however, said to support Hafter and the LNA.
There have already been a number of clashed between Tajoura forces and Dawn. Most recently in February, local fighters grabbed weapons from Dawn forces.
Nonetheless, the area is seen to be firmly in the hands of pro-Islamist militias based at Mitiga Airport, which Tajoura includes.
According to some analysts, though, today’s clashes between Tajoura and Dawn are a pre-emtive move, triggered by concerns that if and when Libya National Army (LNA) forces enter the capital, fighters in Tajoura could cut off lines between the airport and Dawn fighters elsewhere in the city.
Meanwhile, there have been conflicting reports about LNA air strikes on Mitiga today as the plane carrying General National Congress negotiators to Morocco for UN-brokered peace negotiations was about to take off .
Pro-Libya Dawn media, the GNC’s dialogue team and the UN Special Envoy himself, Bernardino Leon, have stated the claim, with Leon saying that “we have never seen air strikes at the moment when one of the delegations is taking off on its way to the talks”.
He has demanded an investigation.
The GNC dialogue team has accused the House of Representatives of deliberately trying to undermine the dialogue with the attack. The GNC would have to “reconsider participation in the dialogue” as a result, it said.
LNA spokesman Mohamed Al-Hejazi also said that jets had had attacked Mitiga airport. However, other reports state that the target was a military base some 10 kilometres away, which had once housed SAM missiles.
Shooting last night in the anti-Libya Dawn district of Fashloum, it is thought to have been no more than usual wild spirits showing off. [/restrict]
