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One killed in RPG attack on Libyan capital's Mitiga airport

Xinhua, April 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

An individual was killed and another seriously injured when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Libyan capital's Mitiga airport, according to a security source.

"Unidentified men attempted to hit a 747 Boeing airplane with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing an individual and seriously injuring another. The two people were in a bus that was hit after the RPG missed the airplane," Esam Al-Na'as, spokesman for Tripoli joint security force told Xinhua.

"This is not the first time an airplane has been targeted inside the airport," Al-Na'as added. "The planes landing in the airport are all civilian or cargo air jets, not military."

Mitiga is currently the only functioning airport in the capital city after Libya Dawn destroyed Tripoli International Airport and occupied the city last August.

The armed Islamist coalition has established its own regime to confront the internationally recognized one, currently in exile in the eastern town of Tobruk.

Libya has witnessed a drastic escalation of violence following the 2011 turmoil which toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and is now juggling two rival parliaments, the secular House of Representatives and the Islamist-backed General National Congress.

Islamist militants and the pro-secular Libyan national army have been vying for cities and towns for months, with fighting still flaring near major cities such as Benghazi and Tripoli.

The pro-government forces, mainly consisting of Zintan militias and tribal forces, have been trying to regain control of the capital since early March. They claimed earlier in the month that they have taken control of towns near Tripoli, such as Sabratha, El-Ajelat, and Zawiya.

Armed forces loyal to the two sides have been engaged in intense battles since last May, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and over 100,000 displaced. Endit