Fourteen people have been killed in the indiscriminate shelling of a hospital in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The Government of National Accord (GNA) was quick to blame the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces for the attack.
LNA Spokesperson Major General Ahmed al-Mismari, however, denied any army role and said that militias were responsible for the attacks on civilian areas.
“Tripoli militias, in coordination with Turkish intelligence agencies, deliberately bombed residential areas in the capital,” Mismari said, responding to GNA accusations.
“This dirty policy of targeting civilian areas away from military positions adopted lately by militias in coordination with Turkish intelligence has been exposed,” Mismari said, explaining that the targeting of civilians is intended to warrant a larger Turkish intervention.
These attacks on civilians, according to Mismari, are also intended to turn the public in Tripoli against the LNA and boost recruitment for militias.
Tripoli militias have been suffering from lack of new recruits with young men in Tripoli refusing to join, and foreign militants fleeing or getting killed.
The LNA, over the last two days, broadcast video footage reminiscent of its success in killing and capturing terrorist groups in the cities of Benghazi and Derna, in the east of the country. This propaganda is meant to deliver the message that the LNA is dedicated to crush invaders and traitors nationwide.
The GNA, for its part, announced 14 people being killed in the hospital attack, and circulated footage showing the destruction caused by the shelling.
The GNA health ministry spokesman said that the attack resulted in the death of a number of women and children, in addition to causing serious damage to the hospital.
In other news, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received on Thursday a phone call from his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo on boosting bilateral cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.
The two sides exchanged viewpoints on the latest regional developments, especially the situation in Libya, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez.
Shoukry reviewed the Egyptian vision towards reaching a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Libyan crisis that materializes Libyans' aspirations for peace and stability.
