Tripoli military school airstrike | |
---|---|
Part of Western Libya campaign of the Second Libyan Civil War | |
Location | Al-Hadhba military school, Tripoli, Libya |
Date | January 4, 2020 9pm |
Target | Cadets |
Weapon | Blue Arrow 7 missile from a Wing Loong II drone |
Deaths | 26 |
Injured | 33 |
Perpetrator |
United Arab Emirates Libyan National Army |
On January 4, 2020, the United Arab Emirates aiding the Libyan National Army launched an airstrike on a military school used by the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli, Libya. Twenty-six people were killed and thirty-three were wounded.
The Libyan National Army, a rival government and faction that fought the UN-recognized Government of National Accord during the Second Libyan Civil War, launched an offensive against the GNA headquarters and Libyan capital of Tripoli in April 2019. [1] On December 12, 2019, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced the "final battle" for Tripoli, committing more forces to the city. [2] The LNA also increased it's air presence around the city. [3] In the Hadhba neighborhood that same day, five civilians were killed by LNA bombings. [4]
Around 9pm on January 4, around 50 cadets of the GNA-affiliated Al-Hadhba military school were on a parade grounds, waiting to be sent back to their dormitories. [5] Most of the cadets were students between the ages of 18 and 22, from cities across Libya. [3] When the paramedics arrived, it was hard to discern and identify bodies due to many being charred. [3] [1] Videos from tripoli hospitals showed limbless cadets and bloodied floors. [6] The initial death toll of the attack reported by the GNA was sixteen killed and thirty-seven injured, but this rose to twenty-six killed and thirty-three injured. [7] A survivor of the attack stated he saw "guys whose torsos were separated from their bodies... and we couldn't do anything." [5]
A United Nations report discovered that the United Arab Emirates, who backs the LNA, was operating the drone that conducted the airstrike at the behest of the LNA. [8] The missile was a Chinese Blue Arrow 7 missile fired from a Wing Loong II drone. [8] [5] Students who survived the attack urged international authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable for the airstrike in a statement given on the one-year anniversary of the airstrike. [9]
Tripoli military school airstrike | |
---|---|
Part of Western Libya campaign of the Second Libyan Civil War | |
Location | Al-Hadhba military school, Tripoli, Libya |
Date | January 4, 2020 9pm |
Target | Cadets |
Weapon | Blue Arrow 7 missile from a Wing Loong II drone |
Deaths | 26 |
Injured | 33 |
Perpetrator |
United Arab Emirates Libyan National Army |
On January 4, 2020, the United Arab Emirates aiding the Libyan National Army launched an airstrike on a military school used by the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli, Libya. Twenty-six people were killed and thirty-three were wounded.
The Libyan National Army, a rival government and faction that fought the UN-recognized Government of National Accord during the Second Libyan Civil War, launched an offensive against the GNA headquarters and Libyan capital of Tripoli in April 2019. [1] On December 12, 2019, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced the "final battle" for Tripoli, committing more forces to the city. [2] The LNA also increased it's air presence around the city. [3] In the Hadhba neighborhood that same day, five civilians were killed by LNA bombings. [4]
Around 9pm on January 4, around 50 cadets of the GNA-affiliated Al-Hadhba military school were on a parade grounds, waiting to be sent back to their dormitories. [5] Most of the cadets were students between the ages of 18 and 22, from cities across Libya. [3] When the paramedics arrived, it was hard to discern and identify bodies due to many being charred. [3] [1] Videos from tripoli hospitals showed limbless cadets and bloodied floors. [6] The initial death toll of the attack reported by the GNA was sixteen killed and thirty-seven injured, but this rose to twenty-six killed and thirty-three injured. [7] A survivor of the attack stated he saw "guys whose torsos were separated from their bodies... and we couldn't do anything." [5]
A United Nations report discovered that the United Arab Emirates, who backs the LNA, was operating the drone that conducted the airstrike at the behest of the LNA. [8] The missile was a Chinese Blue Arrow 7 missile fired from a Wing Loong II drone. [8] [5] Students who survived the attack urged international authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable for the airstrike in a statement given on the one-year anniversary of the airstrike. [9]