28 killed, dozens injured in aerial attack on military school in Tripoli

SANAA, Jan. 5 (YPA) –  At least 28 students from the military school were killed and dozens injured in the capital Tripoli last night in an air strike, Amin al-Hashimi, spokesman for the health ministry of of the Government of National Accord (GNA) said on late Saturday .

“Aerial attack killed Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens of wounded students of the military school of Tripoli ,” al-Hashimi said in a statement.

“The students were conducting the evening gathering in the main courtyard of the college, preparing to enter their private wards, before the courtyard was hit by aerial bombardment that caused so many casualties,” he added.

The spokesman confirmed an urgent appeal to Tripoli residents to go to hospitals to donate blood, given the critical injuries recorded among the college’s students.

“Operation Volcano of Anger”, which is a part of the GNA government, accused forces loyal to Libyan Army commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of being responsible for the airstrikes.

“The warplane supporting the war criminal Haftar bombed the military school and caused dozens of deaths and injuries,” GNA wrote on official Facebook page.

It also posted photos of the victims and the wounded, as well as the damages on the main courtyard of the school, where the aerial bombardment site was located .

There has been no comment from Haftar’s forces so far.

Libya, mired in chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. It has been plagued by violent clashes since April 4, when Haftar’s powerful forces launched an offensive to take control of Tripoli, the seat of the government of national accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

The fighting has killed more than 2,000 fighters and nearly 300 civilians, while 146,000 people have been displaced, according to Ghassan Salame, the UN envoy to Libya.

E.M