Dbeibeh government launches new airstrikes on areas in western Libya… Details
Despite criticism in a country where two governments are vying for power, new drone strikes on Friday targeted smugglers’ sites in western Libya, part of a major military operation the Libyan government has been conducting against traffickers’ sites since May 25, according to local media.
Friday’s air strike targeted two locations in the town of Zuwara, 120km from the capital Tripoli near the border with Tunisia, according to Libya al-Ahrar TV channel, which broadcast images of columns of smoke rising from two places in the city, which is a departure point for boats of illegal migrants to Europe.
Dbeibeh, who has influence in western Libya, is seeking to show his ability to control the situation and combat human, drug, and fuel smuggling, portraying himself as a strong statesman, while Libyan factions are debating holding general elections.
On May 25, the Ministry of Defense of the Tripoli-based government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh announced the launch of a large-scale military operation against “the nests of fuel smuggling, drug trafficking, and human trafficking gangs in the West Coast region.”
On Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement: “The objectives set out in the first phase of the operation have been achieved by destroying seven boats destined for human trafficking, six warehouses for drug traffickers, and nine fuel smuggling tanks”.
The operation, which so far has been limited to marching strikes, initially targeted the coastal city of Zawiya, 45 kilometers west of Tripoli, and later other cities such as Mayya, 30 kilometers west of the capital, and Ajeilat, about 80 kilometers west of Tripoli, media said.
During a meeting with army officers that was broadcast by the media on Thursday evening, Dbeibeh, who is also Minister of Defense, praised the accuracy of drone strikes. He wrote on his Facebook page: “We will strike with an iron fist the dens of crime everywhere we reach”.
Drone strikes are the first phase of the operation, he said, noting that the second phase is aimed at “capturing all wanted individuals”, meaning a ground operation can be launched.
Turkey, which sent troops to help the government in Tripoli fend off an eastern offensive in 2020, has previously deployed drones to bases in western Libya, and Ankara has not commented on drone strikes.
One of Libya’s main refineries and petrol import stations is Zawiya, a hub for fuel smuggling and human trafficking. “The struggle for control of the city has been repeated in the past few years, between groups supporting the tanks and those opposed to it”.
The United States and other Western countries expressed concern about the use of weapons in the civilian areas of Zawiya and urged leaders to calm the situation.
