Airstrike Kills 40 Migrants in Tripoli

An airstrike hit a detention centre for migrants early Wednesday in the Libyan capital, killing at least 40 people, a health official in the country’s U.N.-supported government said.

The airstrike targeting the detention centre in Tripoli’s Tajoura neighbourhood also wounded 80 migrants, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the Health Ministry. Mr Merset posted photos of migrants who were being taken in ambulances to hospitals.

In a statement, the U.N.-supported government blamed the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, for the airstrike.

The LNA launched an offensive against the weak Tripoli-based government in April. Hifter’s forces control much of the country’s east and south but were dealt a significant blow last week when militias allied with the Tripoli government reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the capital.