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Turkish ship bombed after warning: Libyan military source

Xinhua, May 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Turkish cargo ship that was shelled late on Sunday near the Libyan coastal town of Derna was warned before being attacked, a Libyan military source said on Monday.

The vessel was warned several times before entering the Derna port and later a warplane bombed it twice, the source, who declined to disclose his name, said.

A crew member was killed and several others injured in the air raid, the source added.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack and the death of the third officer of the ship and the injury of other crew members.

It said in a statement that "the civilian ship was in international waters at the time of the attack."

The ship was shelled from land while it was 13 miles away from the Libyan coast near the port of Tobruk and attacked two times from the air as it was trying to leave the area, it added.

Ankara lodged a protest and demanded that the Libyan authorities end actions against the security of other Turkish ships in the region, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Libyan local media blamed forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar for the attack. Haftar's warplanes had launched several similar raids on Derna, pounding Islamist militants in the town.

Haftar, who played a major role in toppling Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been waging a war on Islamist armed groups since last May. His Operation Dignity has gained support from Libya's internationally recognized government, now exiled in Tobruk.

In the past, Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni accused Ankara of interfering in Libya's domestic affairs, including providing support for the renegade government.

He warned of ending contracts of Turkish businesses in the country. That triggered an exchange of harsh words last week between Turkey and the Tobruk government.

Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has witnessed a frayed political process following the toppling of Gaddafi during the 2011 political turmoil.

The country is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants.

The capital city of Tripoli fell into the hands of Libya Dawn last August. The armed Islamist coalition has established its own government to confront the internationally recognized one, currently in exile in the eastern town of Tobruk. Endit