Libya halts flights at Tripoli airport due to clashes

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya

Flights were indefinitely suspended Monday at Libya’s Mitiga Airport east of capital Tripoli due to ongoing clashes between rival militias.

In a statement, airport officials said all flights out of the airport had been put on hold until further notice.

One airport source, who spoke to Anadolu Agency anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media, attributed the flight suspension to clashes -- which, he said, remain ongoing -- between rival militias in the nearby Al-Ghrarat district.

The violence first erupted late Sunday after pro-government militiamen staged a raid into Al-Ghrarat, prompting clashes with a local armed group.

Libya has been roiled by violence since 2011, when a bloody uprising led to the ouster and death of longtime President Muammar Gaddafi.

The resultant power vacuum led to the emergence of several rival seats of government and a plethora of heavily-armed militia groups.