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By Maha Suliman and Adam Ali.
Benghazi, 30 November 2014:
The bombing of Tripoli’s Mitiga airport last week was not intended to cause . . .[restrict]serious damage, the head of the Libya National Army’s air force, Saqr Adam Geroushi, has claimed. The purpose was to demonstrate the LNA’s air power.
“We don’t want to cause damage,” he told the Libya Herald. But if Libya Dawn did not stop flying in arms to Misrata and Mitiga then “we will bomb it properly,” he said.
He claimed the arms were still being flow to Mitiga “from Turkey, Qatar and Sudan”. The three have denied sending arms to Libya.
Ironically, Sudan has also been accused by Libya Dawn of sending arms to the LNA.
Geroushi also confirmed preciously uncorroborated reports that LNA planes had bombed Libya Shield arms depots in Zliten, the western Misrata suburb of Dafnya and targets near Tripoli yesterday.
Fighting was still continuing in south Benghazi, he admitted – in Gunfudah and Gwarsha. But it was relatively easy to fight effectively in the two areas, he said. Unlike central Benghazi, they were more sparsely inhabited and most of the residents had left. As for Sabri, there was still some sniper fire but it was almost over, he claimed.
Benghazi would, he said, be fully liberated by 15 December so that the House of Representatives could move to the city as stated by Khalifa Hafter.
The LNA’s attacks were, moreover, “precision surgery”, Geroushi claimed. They were having the desired effect, he claimed.
Meanwhile in Benghazi this afternoon, a 15-year-old girl was reported to have been killed in crossfire while her family were trying to flee Laithi district. She was named named as Fatima Eraad. Her mother is said to have been shot in the stomach and rushed initially to Jalaa hospital for surgery. She is now said to be in a stable condition.
According to the hospital, 24 members of 204 Tank Battalion had also been treated today; 12 had been discharged while the others were still undergoing treatment an official said. [/restrict]
