Libyan Army Accuses Turkey of Providing Military Support to Brotherhood

Libyan National Army (LNA) members head out of Benghazi to reinforce troops advancing towards Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya, April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
Libyan National Army (LNA) members head out of Benghazi to reinforce troops advancing towards Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya, April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
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Libyan Army Accuses Turkey of Providing Military Support to Brotherhood

Libyan National Army (LNA) members head out of Benghazi to reinforce troops advancing towards Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya, April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
Libyan National Army (LNA) members head out of Benghazi to reinforce troops advancing towards Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya, April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo

Karama operations media center of the Libyan National Army (LNA) has said ‘Turkish drones’ had targeted several regions in the south of the capital Tripoli.

The center accused Turkey of making a “blatant intervention in support of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood and its militias despite a UN Security Council arms embargo on Libya.”

LNA’s Brigadier General Fawzi al-Mansouri said that his forces thwarted Tuesday an attack conducted by militias loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA). They attacked Tripoli’s former international airport but they ended up with heavy casualties, Mansouri added.

Military sources in Sarraj’s government said that its forces launched an attack on at least four fronts in an attempt to force the LNA to withdraw. They noted that the attacks included airstrikes on army positions near Tripoli.

Moreover, the GNA announced that Undersecretary of Housing and Utilities Ministry Salah al-Din al-Ruqaie was killed while fighting alongside pro-Sarraj militias on Monday.

On its Facebook page, the ministry mourned Ruqaie and affirmed that he was on the frontlines of Tripoli before getting killed.

Karama operations media center, further, unveiled that the GNA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has officially requested Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to permit the passage of three flights coming from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport starting Wednesday until June 25.

The center said that these flights will most likely carry arms, ammunition and mercenaries, stressing that Malta should not be party to the Libyan conflict.

Moreover, it accused High Council of State chief Khalid al-Mishri of recruiting children and attempting to form a battalion of children and youths from Hararat region. It also said that Mishri has recruited around 20 juveniles to fight alongside the militias in return for money.



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.