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Libya airstrikes hit Misrata militants for first time | Libya airstrikes hit Misrata militants for first time |
(about 20 hours later) | |
Libya's air force has struck the western city of Misrata for the first time in the latest clash between government and militant forces. | Libya's air force has struck the western city of Misrata for the first time in the latest clash between government and militant forces. |
A Misrata source confirmed the strikes to the BBC, adding that there were no casualties or material damage. | A Misrata source confirmed the strikes to the BBC, adding that there were no casualties or material damage. |
The airstrikes come after a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the air force to militants based in Misrata. | The airstrikes come after a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the air force to militants based in Misrata. |
The Misrata-led Libya Dawn militia alliance controls much of western Libya, including the capital, Tripoli. | |
The government has been pushed back into eastern areas. | |
Libya has been plagued by instability and infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and violence has been steadily increasing in recent months. | Libya has been plagued by instability and infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and violence has been steadily increasing in recent months. |
'High spirits' | |
The bombings came after militants had attacked the eastern oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf. | |
Militants were "still in high spirits, and [the] bombings will not affect our resolve," the Misrata source told the BBC. | |
He said there were two air raids, which hit an air force academy near the airport and an area near the sea port and steel factory. | |
An attack on a power plant in the Libyan city of Sirte on 25 December left at least 19 soldiers dead. | An attack on a power plant in the Libyan city of Sirte on 25 December left at least 19 soldiers dead. |
Libyan military sources said Libya Dawn, which includes some Islamist armed groups, was responsible for the attack. | |
In a separate incident, an oil tank at Libya's largest oil export terminal in Sidra caught fire when it was struck by a rocket during fighting on Saturday. | In a separate incident, an oil tank at Libya's largest oil export terminal in Sidra caught fire when it was struck by a rocket during fighting on Saturday. |
That attack, and the fight for control of Ras Lanuf, prompted the air force to issue its ultimatum. | That attack, and the fight for control of Ras Lanuf, prompted the air force to issue its ultimatum. |
The United Nations mission to Libya has been trying to schedule talks between the key players of warring sides for nearly a month. | |
The talks have been postponed twice in recent weeks and are now scheduled to take place on 5 January. | |
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says it is still not clear if they will go ahead. | |
She says the prospects for any negotiations get dimmer by the day, as the fighting on the ground and the rhetoric from both sides escalate. |
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