Drone strikes in Libya killed at least two people and wounded others, including an MP’s nephew, the lawmaker said, days after accusing the Tripoli-based government of targeting his home. The strikes near the western city of Zawiya were part of an operation that the authorities said was targeting smuggling networks.
The commander of the Libyan western military region, Major General Osama Al-Juwaili, commented on the drone strikes on sites that the Government of National Unity said belonged to human traffickers and fuel smugglers.
Al-Juwaili said in press statements that “the use of drones may complicate the political situation, because all parties will seek to possess weapons and there will be an arms race, and Libya does not need more weapons and chaos.”
Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) stepped up drone strikes against what it said were “smuggling gangs” in western regions, attacking targets in Zawia, Zuwara, Ajeelat and Maya. However, the strikes that began a week ago have hit factions linked with figures opposed to Prime Minister Abdelhamid al-Dbeibah, prompting outrage among critics of the GNU and fears of an escalation.
