Haftar forces claim Tripoli attack that killed five medics

Tripoli, July 30 (IANS/AKI) Eastern Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces have claimed responsibility for an aerial attack on a field hospital that killed four doctors and a nurse, claiming the facility had been used by "terrorists". media reports said."On Saturday, we carried out an air raid on a field hospital in southern Tripoli that terrorists were sheltering in," Libyan National Army spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari told Libya al-Hadath TV.Mesmari claimed the victims of the raid were medical students, not doctors."Some of these people were imprisoned for terrorism in the 1990s and others belonged to the (Islamist) Muslim Brotherhood," he said.The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Berangere Boell-Yousfi on Monday condemned the attack Zawiyah Field Hospital and a school. The attack also injured eight medical personnel and left thousands of people without access to basic services, she said.A total of 37 attacks have been registered on health personnel and facilities since the LNA in early April began an aerial and ground offensive in Tripoli, resulting in a total of 11 deaths, 33 injuries and 19 ambulances directly or indirectly impacted, the UN's Libya mission said.The fighting between the LNA and forces allied to the internationally recognised government in Tripoli has left at least 1,100 people dead and wounded more than 5,750, while over 100,000 civilians have fled their homes, according to the UN.
--IANS/AKI
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