[ad_1]
A Libyan warplane from the forces of military commander Khalifa Haftar on Monday made an emergency landing in neighboring Tunisia, the Libyan authorities said.
The aircraft was participating in a "reconnaissance and patrol mission and suffered a technical problem resulting in an emergency landing" in southern Tunisia, said a statement from an administration based in eastern Libya.
The so-called Libyan national army of Haftar, which supports the East administration, launched an offensive in April to try to seize Tripoli from the government of national agreement recognized by the United Nations.
The Tunisian Ministry of Defense announced that the plane had landed Monday morning on a road near Medenine, located about 100 km from the Libyan border.
The ministry mobilized a fighter "to intercept and identify the aircraft, but he had to make an emergency landing," the ministry said, adding that a colonel was on board.
Spectators, including children, gathered near the jet, while the pilot met with the Tunisian authorities.
"We saw two planes flying around 7:15 this morning," said a local resident at AFP.
"And then one of them has landed here," he added.
The plane was carrying two bombs, said an AFP photographer on the spot where the plane was cordoned off at the side of the road.
The internationally recognized Libyan GNA in Tripoli also said the jet belonged to pro-Haftar forces.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,000 people were killed in the Battle of Tripoli, while more than 100,000 people were displaced by the violence.
Source link
