Trump 'encouraged' Libyan warlord Haftar's deadly assault on Tripoli
Densely populated residential areas ‘gradually turning into battlefields’ as three-week offensive goes on
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump reportedly encouraged a Libyan rebel warlord to launch a deadly assault on Tripoli in a bid to overthrow the country’s internationally recognised government.
The US president indicated his support for the offensive, which has left more than 270 people dead, in a phone call to Khalifa Haftar last week, Bloomberg reported.
An earlier call from White House national security adviser John Bolton also gave the impression the US approved of the assault, three American officials told the news agency.
At least 278 people have been killed and another 1,332 wounded, according to the World Health Organisation, since Mr Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an attempt to capture the country’s capital three weeks ago.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Thursday a humanitarian crisis was developing in Tripoli, with densely populated residential areas “gradually turning into battlefields”.
Hospitals are struggling with chronic shortages of medical supplies amid power outages and weakened water pumping stations, the aid agency said.
“It is crucial that hospitals, medical facilities, health staff and vehicles transporting the wounded are allowed to carry out their activities safely,” it added.
The LNA, which is allied to a rival government in eastern Libya, has so far failed to breach the city’s southern defences.
Southern suburbs and nearby villages have been heavily shelled, with territory regularly changing hands between Mr Haftar’s militia and forces backing Libya’s United Nations-recognised government.
Britain and the UN consider Mr Haftar to be the aggressor in the conflict and were said to have been taken aback when Mr Trump expressed support for the warlord last week.
Mr Trump praised Mr Haftar’s “significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources”, according to a White House account of their phone call.
During the conservation on Monday last week, the two men also “discussed a shared vision for Libya’s transition to a stable, democratic political system,” the administration said.
But the Bloomberg report suggests Mr Trump offered more outspoken support for the assault on Tripoli than previously disclosed.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also backed Mr Haftar, who has branded Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj a “terrorist”.
Mr Sarraj accused Mr Haftar, who has bombed Tripoli’s sole functioning civilian airport, of war crimes and vowed to refer his alleged abuses to the International Criminal Court.
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