US urges immediate halt to military operations in Libya

The United States called on Sunday for an immediate halt to military operations in Libya as the Libyan National Army headed by Khalifa Haftar advanced on the capital, Tripoli.

Haftar's forces and the UN-backed unity government exchanged air strikes Sunday, three days after Haftar launched an offensive to seize the capital.

The unity government said the fighting had killed 21 people, while the United Nations said there had been "no truce" despite calls for a two-hour pause in fighting for civilians and the wounded to flee.

Oil-rich Libya has been riven by chaos since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi, as rival administrations and armed groups have battled for power.

Haftar's offensive has threatened to plunge the country into a full-blown civil war and once again derail tentative diplomatic efforts to find a solution to Libya's woes.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Washington was “deeply concerned about fighting near Tripoli” and urged talks to end the fighting.

“We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” Pompeo said in urging de-escalation.

Haftar, 75, who casts himself as a foe of Islamist extremism but is viewed by opponents as a new dictator in the mould of Gaddafi, enjoys the backing of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see him as a bulwark against Islamists and have supported him militarily, according to U.N. reports.

Haftar’s forces carried out air strikes on southern Tripoli on Sunday and made progress toward the city centre, residents said.

The offensive, which began last week, intensifies a power struggle that has fractured the oil and gas producer.

The fighting has taken the United Nations by surprise and undermined plans to find agreement on a road map for elections to resolve the protracted instability in Libya.