Libya: 14 soldiers loyal to Khalifa Haftar killed

TRIPOLI, Libya

A total of 14 soldiers loyal to East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar have been killed in the clashes with Libyan army in Tripoli, said a spokesman Saturday.

In a press conference in Benghazi, Ahmed Mesmari, Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman, warned that the airplanes that would be flying in the region during operations will be shut down.

He did not give any information about the regions his troops control.

In a statement, however, Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) announced that they control the areas around Tripoli.

GNA also said it has taken dozens of captives from Haftar's troops, confiscated many vehicles and repelled the rival troops beyond the boundaries of the city of Gharyan.

On Thursday, Haftar launched a military campaign to recapture Tripoli from UN-backed Government of National Accord forces.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, to which Haftar is linked, and another in Tripoli.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic