Libya

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The United States said Sunday it has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to “security conditions on the ground,” as a Libyan military commander’s forces advanced toward the capital, Tripoli, clashing with rival militias.

A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.

TRIPOLI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Saturday threatened to attack air bases and fighter jets of the UN-backed government in western Libya, as the army continues its efforts to take over the region.

"The Main Operation Chamber of the Air Force declares the western region a no-fly military zone for any fighter jets or drones belonging to any party," said Ahmad al-Mismari, the army's spokesman, in a statement.

6 Apr 2019; AFP: Libyan forces under Khalifa Haftar battled their way to the south of Tripoli on Friday, prompting the UN Security Council and the G7 to demand a halt to the military advance on the capital.

Haftar, commander of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), launched an offensive on Thursday to take the capital, held by a UN-backed unity government and an array of militias.

TRIPOLI, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Libyan authorities on Friday said they rescued 117 illegal immigrants off the coast of the western city of Al-Khoms, some 120 km east of the capital Tripoli.

"Coast guards patrol rescued 117 immigrants of different African nationalities on a rubber boat," the Libyan coast and seaport security said in a statement.

The rescued immigrants include 84 men, 15 women and 18 children, the statement said.

TRIPOLI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Thursday said it arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants in the northeastern city of Tobruk.

A total of 43 immigrants were arrested in southern Tubrok during a patrol, the army said, adding that another patrol discovered 60 more of them.

Tubruk is located near the Egyptian border, a smuggling hotspot. Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants trying to cross into Europe.

Improved weather conditions have increased flows of illegal immigrants recently.

TRIPOLI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Nearly half a million internally displaced people (IDPs) who have returned to their homes in Libya are in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday.

"Currently in Libya, there are over 445,000 returnees that are in need of humanitarian assistance," UNHCR said.

Many Libyan families are living in areas surrounded by unexploded remnants of war near their destroyed homes, UNHCR added.

TRIPOLI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Ambassadors of France, Italy, Britain and the United States on Saturday welcomed the lifting of force majeure at Libya's largest oil field, Al-Sharara oil field, by the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC).

The ambassadors welcomed the decision to lift the force majeure and "immediately resume production at the crucial Al-Sharara oil field," said a joint statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Libya.

TRIPOLI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday closed Mitiga International Airport of the capital Tripoli for the second time this week after infiltration of an unidentified drone.

"Air traffic is suspended again until further notice in Mitiga International Airport for the same reason, a drone flying in the airspace of the airport at an altitude of 5,000 feet," the airport administration said in a statement.

The statement said the drone poses danger to the airplanes flying to and from the airport.

TRIPOLI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of Libya's eastern-based House of Representative (parliament) on Monday warned against the interference in Libya's internal affairs by ambassadors of some countries and international organizations.

In a statement, the committee called on them to abide by diplomatic norms and charters that govern their work.

In addition, the committee stressed that the eastern-based army's anti-terrorism operation in southern Libya is a "sacred national duty to restore stability and security."

TRIPOLI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said it needed 43.5 million U.S. dollars to provide life-saving medical assistance for 388,000 people affected by armed conflict in Libya.

According to an assessment by WHO and the Libyan Health Ministry in 2017, 17.5 percent of the country's hospitals, 20 percent of the primary health care facilities, and 18 specialized hospitals are either partially damaged or completely destroyed.