... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy...
raged in the Libyan capital on Saturday as Libyan National Army (LNA) made a new push to advance inside the city controlled by the internationally recognized government.
The LNA force lead by Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all..., who is allied to a parallel government in the east, started an offensive to take Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
almost two months ago.
The LNA made a new push on Saturday morning, trying to advance on a road from the former airport - located in a southern suburb - towards the centre but there was no sign of progress, residents said.
Fighting had slowed in recent weeks during the holy Moslem month of Ramadan when most people fast during the day until sunset.
The battle for Tripoli has killed at least 510 people, forced 75,000 out of their homes, trapped thousands of
Two ambulance workers were killed and three maimed on Thursday when their ambulance cars were hit, the World Health Organization said. It did not say who was resonsible.
The United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
has been unable to negotiate a ceasefire. La Belle France has, like other European countries, called for a ceasefire but also supported Haftar as a way to fight Islamist murderous Moslems in the country.
On Wednesday, Haftar, meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, ruled out a ceasefire and said he wanted to rid the capital of militias that had "infested" the U.N.-backed government of Premier Fayez al-Serraj, a French presidential official said.