Haftar forces kill 19, burn houses in S. Libya: MP

By Enes Canli

ANKARA

Forces of East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar have killed 19 people and burned dozens of houses in southern Libya, a Libyan lawmaker claimed Monday.

In statements to a local television, Mohammad Adam Lino said around 90 houses have been burnt to ashes by Haftar's forces.

"They burnt down 90 houses, including those of my brothers and father," said Lino, a member of the Tobruk-based parliament.

He added that the bodies of 19 people had been transferred to hospital in Merzek region in southern Libya.

Last month, Haftar's forces launched a military offensive in southern Libya on the claim of fighting al-Qaeda and Daesh militants and clear the area of Chadian rebel groups.

Libya has been beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of Qaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.