Warplane Attacks Libya's Benghazi Port
A war plane attacked a port in Benghazi on Wednesday in a strike claimed by forces loyal to former general Khalifa Haftar, bringing their battle against Islamists to the heart of the eastern Libyan city. A Reuters reporter near the port, which is not an oil installation, saw a warplane open fire several times, although it was unclear whether any harbor facilities were hit.
The port is the main gateway for wheat and fuel imports into eastern Libya, a country struggling with anarchy three years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. Saqer al-Jouroushi, head of Haftar's air defense unit, has said an umbrella group of Islamist fighters, Majlis al-Shura, was using the port to bring in supplies and weapons.
"We warned the port manager that we will not allow ships to dock to supply Majlis al-Shura with weapons," said Jouroushi, whose unit controls several planes from Libya's air force.
He said the plane had deliberately missed the quay and had been issuing a final warning, but added that it would hit next time if another ship tried to offload weapons. Clashes in Benghazi have so far been mainly limited to the suburbs.