The battle for Tripoli between forces loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan government and the Libyan National Army (LNA) of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar continued on Friday. According to the United Nations, the recent fighting has now killed 75 people including 17 civilians, while another 323 have been wounded and 9,500 Tripoli residents have been displaced.
Haftar is leading a push for Tripoli in an attempt to overthrow the government. After advancing to 7 miles from the center of the Libyan capital, his troops have now been stalled by forces loyal to the government. The military commander, who once served as a general in the army of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi but eventually turned against him, has resisted calls by the UN, the G7, the European Union (EU) and the United States for a ceasefire. The ongoing civil war in the country is the second internal conflict since Gaddafi was ousted in a NATO-led operation in 2011.
