Islamist fighters “liberated” Tripoli International Airport on August 23, 2014.
The Washington Free Beacon reported eleven commercial jetliners went missing after Islamist terrorists belonging to “The Masked Men Brigade” took control of the Tripoli airport in August. The Masked Men Brigade is linked to al Qaeda and Ansar al Sharia — the group behind the Benghazi terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2012.
Ansar al-Sharia has since joined with ISIS in Libya.
The Islamists posted photos of the captured commercial jetliners after they took control of the Tripoli airport.
The Islamists climbed on top of the planes in Tripoli to celebrate their victory.
Backwards Islamist militia men celebrate taking over Tripoli airport by climbing on a plane on August 23, 2014.
A Tripoli-based Islamist militia carried out their first airstrike late Tuesday in Zintan, Libya. The warplanes conducted an air strike on the Zintan airport while passengers were about to depart.
#Libya: Statement and pictures from the Zintan airport about Fajr (Dawn) airstrike at noon today, #Feb17 pic.twitter.com/oz1bfVZe6Y
— James Wheeler (@wheelertweets) February 17, 2015
The New York Times reported:
The Islamist-backed faction in Libya’s civil conflict said Tuesday that it had carried out its first airstrike, targeting opponents in the town of Zintan in an escalation of the violence tearing the country apart.
The attack occurred two days after the Islamic State, the extremist group also known as ISIS or ISIL, released a video showing fighters for one of its Libyan branches beheading as many as 21 Egyptian Christians. In retaliation, Egypt carried out an airstrike on Monday against a town in eastern Libya that is a hub of Islamist militancy and the home of another Islamic State branch.
The extent of the damage was unclear. But the attack on Tuesday raised the possibility of an air war between the rival Libyan factions and diminished hopes for United Nations-sponsored talks about ending the conflict.
“This may well upend the U.N.’s mediation efforts,” said Wolfram Lacher, a Libya researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
Word of the bombing on Tuesday came as Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, visited the United Nations in New York, intending to push for a Security Council measure to strengthen what he called the “legitimate government of Libya.”
Flights were cancelled after the bombings.
#Libya | Zintan Airport: Today flights cancelled after a warplane bombed the terminal of Zintan's civilian airport. pic.twitter.com/ZyMOhuXbIA
— Good Morning Libya (@Morning_LY) February 17, 2015
More… Italy is preparing for an ISIS airstrike by air.