Libya's Tripoli Parliament Decries Airport Bombing

Libya's Tripoli-based parliament on Tuesday denounced the bombing of civilian facilities in the capital's Mitiga airport by forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar.



"At a time when the people of Libya are looking forward to the political dialogue to resolve the current crisis, Haftar and his allies bombed Mitiga airport this morning," the Tripoli-based parliament said in a statement.



"While we condemn this terrorist act that targeted a civilian facility, we stress that such actions won't deter us from proceeding with political dialogue and from imposing the people's will through it," it said.



It also urged the international community to "shoulder its responsibility regarding every impediment to the dialogue in Libya and to take a more serious stance against such repeated assaults by Haftar."



Earlier Tuesday, the Libyan army announced on Facebook that it had carried out a number of aerial raids on Mitiga airport, which it described as "a gateway for logistical support and weapon supplies" for the Islamist "Dawn of Libya" militia.



The bombing came as the UN Support Mission in Libya announced that the next round of talks between warring rivals will take place later this week in Morocco.



Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since a bloody uprising ended the decades-long rule of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011.



Since then, the country's stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, each with its own institutions.



Vying for legislative authority are a Tobruk-based parliament and an Islamist-led parliament, the latter of which – even though its mandate ended last year – continues to convene in Tripoli.



The two assemblies support two different rival governments respectively headquartered in Tobruk and Tripoli.



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