Tripoli: Five doctors were killed in an air strike by forces of Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on a field hospital near the capital, the health ministry of the Tripoli government said.
Haftar’s Libyan National Army launched an offensive in April to try to wrest Tripoli from forces of the Government of National Accord which is based in the capital.
Pro-GNA forces have weathered the initial onslaught and since then fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the city, with both sides resorting to air strikes.
“The field hospital located on the airport road (south of Tripoli) was hit by an air raid. Five doctors were killed and seven other people, including rescuers, wounded,” health ministry spokesman Lamine Al Hashemi said.
The strike occurred on Saturday and was carried out by “a Haftar warplane”, he said.
“It was a direct hit against the hospital which was packed with medical teams,” Al Hashemi added.
There was no immediate confirmation or denial of responsibility from Haftar’s forces.
