Tripoli, Libya, Area Bombed by Unidentified Planes

TRIPOLI, Libya, Aug. 18 (UPI) — The Libyan capital of Tripoli was struck by bombs dropped from unidentified aircraft early Monday, with the government unaware of whose planes carried out the attack.

Rival militia groups have been involved in combat for weeks in areas, including Tripoli’s airport. Local media and eyewitnesses reported the flight of fighter planes over the city and the sound of explosions, although no damage accounts or casualties were reported. Several local television stations claimed Monday the targets were militia forces from the nearby city of Misrata, who have been fighting with militants from western Zintan for control of Tripoli.

A government statement said it had no “convincing indications to establish which side was behind this.”

Libya, and in particular the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, has been the site of fighting between rival groups who collectively helped unseat long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The groups control large areas of the country, and are relatively strong compared to Libya’s federal police and army.