Death toll from strike on Libya military school updated to 30

Tripoli (AFP) – At least 30 people were killed in an air strike on a military school in Libya’s capital, a spokesman for the health ministry said Sunday citing a new toll.

Thirty three others were wounded in Saturday’s air raid on the military school of Tripoli, Amin al-Hashemi, spokesman for the health ministry of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) said.

The military school is in al-Hadba al-Khadra, a residential area in south Tripoli.

Surveillance camera footage shared online showed the cadets gathered on a parade ground as the strike occurred.

At the time of the strike the cadets were gathered on a parade ground before going to their dormitories, Hashemi said.

Southern Tripoli has seen fierce fighting since last April, when eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar began an offensive against the GNA.

GNA forces shared photos of the victims and wounded on Facebook, accusing pro-Haftar forces of conducting the strike.

But a spokesman for Haftar’s forces, Ahmad al-Mismari, “categorically” denied that the strongman’s Libyan National Army (LNA) was behind the attack.

Mismari told a news conference on Sunday that jihadists from Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group and the Muslim Brotherhood were responsible for what he described as a “terrorist act”.

The UN mission in Libya, UNSMIL, denounced the attack and warned that military escalations hinder efforts aimed at relaunching a political process in Libya.

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The North African country was plunged into chaos with the toppling and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. It has since become divided between the GNA and rival authorities based in the country’s east.

More than 280 civilians and more than 2,000 fighters have been killed since the start of Haftar’s assault on Tripoli, according to the United Nations. The fighting has also displaced some 146,000 people.