By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 13 December 2017:
Clashes this morning outside Tripoli’s Mitiga airport have been dismissed by officials there as “just skirmishes” which had not affected flights.
It has been reported that militants manning a nearby checkpoint had been attacked early this morning by a unit from the airport which had then pulled back when reinforcements arrived to support the militants.
A source in Rada confirmed that it had been involved in intermittent shooting for two or three hours with forces led by Bashir Al-Bugra but that the situation was now calm. He did not say who had been responsible for the clashes, only that flights were landing and taking off normally.
Bugra, from Misrata, is known to support form Libya Dawn “prime minister” Khalifa Ghwell and to be deeply opposed to both Rada and Haithem Tajouri. His forces, though, have some support in Suq Al-Juma and Tajoura.
Two months ago, the airport was briefly closed after clashes between Rada and armed youth from the Ghararat area of Suq Al-Juma.
