Eastern Libyan forces take control of Tripoli international airport, advance on capital
Eastern Libyan forces on Friday seized the former Tripoli International Airport on the southern outskirts of the capital, a spokesman for the forces said.
Ahmed Mismari also told reporters his troops were in control of Tarhouna and Aziziya, two towns near Tripoli.
He said five of his fighters had been killed.
Tripoli is home to Libya's internationally recognized government.
The development comes as UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Friday he was "deeply concerned" after meeting eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in Libya to try to avert a renewed civil war as forces advanced on Tripoli.
Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) said in the evening it had taken control of Tripoli's airport.
The thrust by the LNA, allied to a parallel administration based in the east, is a dangerous escalation of a power struggle that has dragged on since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
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