Libyans trade blame over truce breach

Benghazi: Rival Libyan forces traded accusations of breaching a temporary truce in the capital Tripoli during Eid al Adha that started on Sunday. On Saturday, the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar and the rival UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli said they had accepted the ceasefire proposed by the United Nations after four months of fighting on the edges of the city. Haftar’s forces on Sunday accused GNA loyalists of mounting randoms shelling in violation of the truce. Battalion 134, which is aligned with the GNA, however said its forces had foiled an attempt by Haftar’s troops to advance from a Tripoli suburb. Yet the truce appears to be holding, according to local sources and witnesses. Tripoli’s residents were celebrating the four-day Eid al Adha, they added. “Calm prevailing in the capital is the best in four months since Haftar announced the start of his campaign on Tripoli,” one local said. Haftar had ordered his forces to capture Tripoli from the GNA in April. — dpa