Space Travel News
AFRICA NEWS
Libya military says air strikes target smuggling sites
Libya military says air strikes target smuggling sites
by AFP Staff Writers
Zawiyah, Libya (AFP) Jan 6, 2025

Libya's UN-recognised authorities have launched air strikes targeting drug trafficking and fuel smuggling hubs west of the capital, a military statement said on Monday.

It remained unclear if there were casualties from the strikes in Zawiya, a city on the Mediterranean coast about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the capital Tripoli.

Libya was plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with armed groups exploiting the situation to fund their activities through fuel smuggling and the trafficking of migrants.

The Libyan Army said the air strikes "targeted and destroyed fuel trafficking sites in Zawiya, specifically in Asban," a semi-rural area outside of the city.

It also called on locals to clear areas it labelled as "strongholds for trafficking and crime".

In May 2023, the Tripoli-based government carried out drone strikes as part of an anti-smuggling operation, killing at least two people and injuring several others, authorities said at the time.

Those strikes followed clashes between armed groups suspected of involvement in human trafficking and smuggling of fuel and other contraband goods.

Libya's eastern-based parliament accused the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity of targeting the home of one of its lawmakers, an opponent of the government.

Libya is divided between the Tripoli-based GNU and a rival administration in the east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Footage posted on the army's Facebook page showed a military truck smashing into the facade of a small dwelling.

Other footage showed tanks and pickup trucks mounted with machine guns driving through Zawiya.

The city hosts Libya's second-largest oil refinery, with smugglers trafficking the fuel across the border into neighbouring Tunisia.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Ivory Coast president says French forces to withdraw in January
Abidjan (AFP) Jan 1, 2025
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said in an end-of-year speech that French forces will withdraw from the West African nation in January, making it the latest country to weaken military ties with the former colonial power. Ouattara said late on Tuesday that Ivory Coast could be proud of its army "whose modernisation is now effective. "It is in this context that we have decided on the concerted and organised withdrawal of French forces" from the country, he announced. France has been ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
AFRICA NEWS
Evidence exists for hidden water reservoirs and rare magmas on ancient Mars

University of Houston scientists solving meteorological mysteries on Mars

Frosty landscape captured at Mars' South Pole

Perseverance blasts past the top of Jezero Crater rim

AFRICA NEWS
Lunar Trailblazer will make macro-measurements of the lunar surface in 2025

China allocates lunar samples for new research projects

Characterizing visual challenges for astronauts at the Lunar South Pole

ispace-EUROPE and ISA partner to deliver advanced reflector technology to the moon

AFRICA NEWS
Texas A and M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Jovian vortex hunter catalog reveals stunning insights into Jupiter's atmosphere

Juno identifies localized magma chambers driving Io's volcanic activity

NASA marks ten years of Hubble's Outer Planets Survey

AFRICA NEWS
An autonomous strategy for life detection on icy worlds using Exo-AUV

Living in the deep, dark, slow lane: Insights from the first global appraisal of microbiomes in Earth's subsurface environments

Young planet's atmosphere challenges traditional formation models

New study uncovers variety in Arctic Ocean hydrothermal vent systems

AFRICA NEWS
Bezos's Blue Origin targets Friday for first orbital launch

SpaceX sends up first Starlink mission of 2025

SpaceX ends 2024 with new round of Starlink satellites

SpaceX launches final mission of 2024 with 21 Starlink satellites

AFRICA NEWS
China's human spaceflight program achieves key milestones in 2024

China's space journey continues apace

Shenzhou XIX crew completes successful spacewalk outside Tiangong station

China boosts Lunar and Mars mission capabilities with advanced Long March rockets

AFRICA NEWS
UCF scientists examine unique asteroid-comet hybrid

Lab experiments explore origins of gullies on Asteroid Vesta

Webb Telescope detects new population of small Main Belt Asteroids

How to find a comet before it hits Earth

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.