Libya airstrikes hit Misrata militants for first time

Libya's air force has struck the western city of
Misrata for the first time in the latest clash
between government and militant forces.

A Misrata source confirmed the strikes to the
BBC, adding that there were no casualties or
material damage.
The airstrikes come after a 72-hour ultimatum
issued by the air force to militants based in
Misrata.


Militants had been attacking the oil ports of
Sidra and Ras Lanuf in East Libya.
Militants were "still in high spirits, and [the]
bombings will not affect our resolve," the
Misrata official told the BBC,
Fighting on the increase
Libya has been plagued by instability and
infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi in 2011, and violence has been steadily
increasing in recent months.
An attack on a power plant in the Libyan city of
Sirte on 25 December left at least 19 soldiers
dead.
Libyan military sources said the Libya Dawn
movement, based in western Libya, was
responsible for the attack.
In a separate incident, an oil tank at Libya's
largest oil export terminal in Sidra caught fire
when it was struck by a rocket during fighting on
Saturday.
That attack, and the fight for control of Ras
Lanuf, prompted the air force to issue its
ultimatum.
Rival groups now control most of the country
including the two largest cities, Tripoli and
Benghazi.
Islamist-leaning militias, some of them remnants
of forces which helped oust Gaddafi, have taken
power in western Libya.
These groups have attempted to reinstate
Libya's previous parliament and appoint a parallel
government, but this has not been recognised
internationally.
The country's recognised parliament and
government have been forced to move to
eastern Libya.

Source:BBC