BENGHAZI: Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar shot down a Tripoli government warplane south of the Libyan capital on Tuesday, witnesses and the Libyan National Army (LNA) said.
The LNA media unit released pictures of what it said was the pilot receiving medical treatment while seated on a chair. Another picture showed an LNA commander, Abdulsalam Al-Hassi, standing behind him.
A spokesman for forces aligned with the internationally recognized government had no immediate comment on the incident.
The eastern-based LNA, led by Haftar, began an offensive against Tripoli in early April but its advance has been blocked by forces loyal to Tripoli on the city’s southern outskirts.
Residents of Gharyan, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli, said that when the plane was heard overhead, anti-aircraft fire opened up. There was an explosion as it was hit.
“The jet was shot down in Al-Hira town and I saw LNA troops capturing the pilot,” a Gharyan resident told Reuters.
On Monday, Haftar urged his troops to teach government forces an “even harder lesson.”
In a message late Sunday, Haftar urged his troops to “uproot” opposing forces from “our beloved country.”
“Officers and soldiers of our armed forces and affiliates, I greet you during these glorious days and call on you to inflict on the enemy, with your force and determination, an even harder and bigger lesson than before,” Haftar wrote in a message read out by LNA spokesman Gen. Ahmad Al-Mesmari.
Forces backing the Government of National Accord (GNA) recently launched a counter-offensive against the LNA, leading to a stalemate on the southern outskirts of the capital.
Haftar’s message also vowed that “in the event of a retreat by the enemy, troops should pursue it with speed and force, prevent it from fleeing and wipe it out” with support from LNA air forces.
“Respect the lives of citizens and their goods,” the message added. “Carry out the orders of this letter and those of your superiors.”
Haftar’s message came just hours after the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called for “an extendable one-week humanitarian truce,” to mark the beginning of Ramadan.
The GNA’s status with world powers is increasingly shaky.
US President Donald Trump, in a phone call with the military commander last month, “recognized Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources,” according to the White House.
Closer to home, Haftar is backed by Egypt and the UAE.
Since April 4, fighting between the LNA and forces backing the GNA has killed at least 432 people, wounded 2,069 and displaced more than 50,000, according to the UN.
