Haftar attack kills 2 civilians northwestern Libya

TRIPOLI, Libya

Two civilians were killed and eight injured on Thursday in an airstrike by eastern Libyan forces on north-western Libya, according to local hospital officials.

Jets loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar bombed Az-Zawiyah city, according to Az-Zawiyah teaching hospital.

Earlier on Thursday, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) announced in a statement that many civilians were killed and injured due to an airstrike affiliated with Haftar forces, with a pharmacy and commercial shops damaged in the city, without mentioning a specific number.

Az-Zawiyah is among the cities that declared public aversion to confronting Haftar forces who was leading an attack since April on the capital Tripoli in an attempt to capture it, but have so far failed to progress beyond the city's outskirts.

On Dec. 12, however, Haftar announced he had ordered his militants to launch a "decisive battle" to capture the city.

According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed and at least 5,000 injured since the start of the operation.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: One in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara