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Libyan Army hits Haftar’s air defense system and drone

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File Photo: Members of the Libyan National Army (LNA), also known as the forces loyal [Photo -Reuters]
The Libyan army on Sunday shot down another air defense system and a drone belonging to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar in southwest of the capital, Tripoli.

According to Libyan military spokesman Col. Mohamed Qanunu, the airstrikes wee carried out against Haftar militias at the Al-Watiya airbase.

Another Russian-made Pantsir type air defense system and a Chinese-made Wing Loong II type armed unmanned aerial vehicle, both supplied by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were destroyed in the airstrikes, Qanunu added.

“Two arms depot at the airbase were also targeted by the Libyan army.”

The army destroyed the first Pantsir system supplied by the UAE on Saturday.

Al-Watiya is regarded as a key airbase and is second only to Mitiga Airport which was captured in August 2014 by Haftar, the leader of illegally armed forces in eastern Libya, who used it as his headquarters for operations.

The airstrikes were a part of operations to cut supplies to Haftar’s militias.

Haftar increased attacks on civilian since the beginning of May as the Libyan army gained advantage and inflicted severe losses on his militants.

The Libyan government has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since April 2019 with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

Operation Peace Storm was launched on march 26 to counter attacks on the capital.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya’s government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led political deal.

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