Air raids by the self-styled Libyan National Army against the capital on Saturday night killed four people and wounded 20 others, Libya's internationally recognised unity government said. But Amin al-Hachemi, a spokesman for the Government of National Accord's healthy ministry, on Sunday warned that "the death toll could increase in the coming hours".
A pro-GNA military source said the victims were civilians. "Several sites were targeted by air strikes late Saturday night, causing victims among civilians," the source told AFP. "Most of the strikes hit areas in the district of Abou Slim... (but) none hit military targets."
Strongman Khalifa Haftar's LNA launched an offensive against Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, on April 4. But after initial gains, Haftar's forces have encountered stiff resistance on the southern outskirts and his troops have been pushed back in some areas.
At least 278 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the clashes, according to a toll released Wednesday by the World Health Organization. The GNA accuses Haftar of using foreign planes to carry out air strikes, without naming a country of origin. "This criminal conceals his failures and those of his soldiers at the gates of Tripoli by resorting to foreign aviation to hit unarmed civilians in the city," spokesman Mohanad Younes said on the GNA's official Facebook page.
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