Tripoli : At least 61 militia personnel were killed and 100 others wounded in clashes between two Libyan armed groups seeking to control Tripoli International Airport, sources said Thursday.
Fifty of the dead belonged to the Zintan militias who have controlled the airport for the past three years, and the other 11 were members of Islamist forces from Misrata – 200 km east of Tripoli – who have been trying to take over the airfield since July 13, the sources said.
The fighting took place Wednesday in the town of Tabashir, located on the route to the airport, which was heavily shelled, damaging houses and many oil deposits.
According to airport sources, the facilities and 15 of the 20 aircraft of Libya’s national carrier have also suffered damage.