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    Libya conflict: Haftar forces threaten to target civilian planes

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    Rebel forces in have threatened to hit civilian planes flying over the capital Tripoli, declaring the and its surrounding areas a “no-fly zone”.

    Mitiga, the city's only functioning airport, was closed on Wednesday after rockets were fired towards it.

    But the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said it had now been re-opened.

    Mitiga has been hit several times since Gen Khalifa Haftar began an offensive to seize Tripoli from the GNA.

    In a statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, the GNA said resuming flights at Mitiga was of the “utmost importance”.

    It called on the UN “to shoulder its responsibility in this regard and to take serious and effective moves to ensure the safety of civilians and secure civilian aviation which faces a dangerous threat from attacking militias”.

    It came as top diplomats from Libya's neighbouring countries met in Algeria to discuss ending the conflict in the oil-rich country.

    What did Haftar's forces say?

    Gen Haftar's spokesman, Ahmad al-Mesmari, said in a statement on Wednesday that “any or civilian aircraft, regardless of its affiliation, flying over the capital will be destroyed”.

    Mr Mesmari said Turkish soldiers deployed to support the GNA were using Mitiga as a .

    The warning came after Mitiga said it had suspended flights following a rocket attack on Wednesday that the GNA blamed on Haftar's forces.

    The GNA branded the strikes a “flagrant threat” to the safety of air traffic…

    Continue Reading This Article At BBC News

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