Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 28 June 2019
Libya's UN-backed government reclaims key town near Tripoli

By NOHA ELHENNAWY Egypt, the UAE and Saudi
Associated Press Arabia, claims the push on
CAIRO (AP) — Libya's U.N.- Tripoli seeks to free the city
backed government re- of radical militias.
claimed a strategic town For its part, the U.N.-backed
near Tripoli from opposi- government has accused
tion forces that have been Hifter of trying to establish a
fighting for the past three one-man military dictator-
months to capture the ship.
country's capital, with a Later on Thursday, The Lib-
government spokesman yan National Army posted
saying Thursday its fighters a statement on Facebook
were in full control of the denying their rivals were
town. in full control of Gharyan
The capture of Gharyan, and claiming there was
about 100 kilometers (62 still some fighting under-
miles) from Tripoli, is signifi- way. "We faced treason
cant because it had served from certain people" in the
as a key supply route for town, Gen. Al-Mabrouk
the forces of commander al-Ghazawy was quoted
Khalifa Hifter, head of the A vehicle and structure is damaged from fighting in the region of Tajoura , east of the Libyan capi- as saying about the LNA's
self-styled Libyan National tal Tripoli, Saturday, June 15, 2019. losses.
Army. Associated Press Virginie Collombier, a po-
The LNA, based in eastern litical science professor
Libya and loyal to a rival Press in a telephone inter- airstrikes targeting a key has been widely criticized with the European Univer-
government, launched an view from Tripoli. "The oper- LNA operations room as by the U.N. and aid agen- sity Institute, said the fall of
offensive on Tripoli in April, ation was carried out with well as armored vehicles cies. Hundreds have been Gharyan is "a major blow"
setting off fierce fighting (few) losses and in less than believed to belong to the killed in the violence, main- to Hifter's forces, which
that has threatened to 24 hours." United Arab Emirates. ly combatants but also ci- have ceased to make any
plunge the country into an- Gnono said an unspeci- A statement from govern- vilians, and thousands have military advances for al-
other bout of violence on fied number of locals from ment forces late Wednes- been displaced. Earlier this most six weeks.
the scale of the 2011 con- the town's population had day first announced the week, the World Health Or- "After almost three months,
flict that ousted longtime collaborated with the gov- fall of Gharyan, saying they ganization said the toll of not only has Hifter not man-
dictator Moammar Gad- ernment forces to ensure would pursue their cam- the fighting around Tripoli aged to get control of
hafi and led to his death. "the success of the opera- paign to push back Hifter had reached 739 killed and Tripoli but he is also losing
"All of Gharyan is under our tion." He confirmed earlier "until the aggressors are 4,407 wounded. now the very first city that
control," Col. Mohamed reports that government purged from all areas." Hifter, backed by key re- he had captured," she told
Gnono told The Associated forces had launched eight Hifter's offensive on Tripoli gional players including the AP.q

Twin attacks target police in Tunis; IS

takes responsibility

leased from a brief hospi-
talization less than a week
ago, was rushed again to
the hospital after being
struck with a "serious illness."
The Islamic State group
claimed responsibility for
Thursday's attacks through
its Aamaq news agency. It
was unclear whether it was
an opportunistic claim.
One attacker detonated
explosives in a busy com-
mercial district near the
French embassy shortly
before 11 a.m., apparently
People are prevented to enter a security area after an explosion targeting a police patrol.
in Tunis, Thursday June 27, 2019. One of the officers died
Associated Press from his injuries, and anoth-
er was injured along with
By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Tunisia has been struck re- three bystanders.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Twin peatedly by terror attacks, At nearly the same time, a
suicide bombings target- threatening the country's second bomber struck at
ing security forces struck relative political stabil- an entrance to the anti-
Tunisia's capital on Thurs- ity in the region. Thursday's terrorism brigade on the
day, killing a patrol officer bombings came as the outskirts of the city. Four
and injuring at least eight country's 92-year-old presi- officers were hospitalized
people. dent, who had been re- with injuries.q