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BFF-22
LIBYA-CONFLICT
Nearly 150 killed in battle for Libya’s Tripoli: WHO
TRIPOLI, April 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – At least 147 people have been killed
and 614 wounded in the offensive launched on April 4 by Libyan military
strongman Khalifa Haftar to take the capital Tripoli, the World Health
Organization said Monday.
The clashes have displaced more than 18,000 people, according to the
latest figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.
Fighting broke out as Haftar’s forces sought to take control of Tripoli
from loyalists of the internationally-backed Government of National Accord
(GNA) which is based in the capital.
The rising number of casualties has prompted the World Health Organization
to deploy surgical teams “to support Tripoli-area hospitals as they cope with
the influx of trauma cases”, the UN agency wrote on Twitter.
At least eight ambulances have been hit during clashes in the southern
outskirts of the capital, as both sides have defied international calls to
halt the fighting.
WHO urged “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid causing collateral
damage to hospitals, ambulances and health workers”.
In addition to ground fighting, both pro-government forces and Haftar’s
self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) carry out daily air raids and accuse
each other of targeting civilians.
The resulting casualties have left health facilities in “critical need of
assistance”, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
“The situation on the ground continues deteriorating and number of
casualties soaring,” UNHCR tweeted.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1929 hrs