BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar shot down a Tripoli government warplane purportedly flown by a foreign mercenary south of the Libyan capital on Tuesday, the Libyan National Army (LNA) said. The LNA media unit released photographs of what it said was the pilot receiving medical treatment while seated on a chair. One showed an LNA commander, Abdulsalam al-Hassi, standing behind him. Video posted on social media, which an LNA source said was authentic, showed the pilot, looking groggy and wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt and khaki jacket, being questioned in English. Asked his name, he said what sounded to be Jimmy Rees but his answer was not clear. He gave his age as 29 and said he was “from Portugal”. Asked what he was doing in Libya, he said: “I was requested to destroy roads and bridges”. Asked who sent him, he said it was a civilian contract with someone called Hadi but he did not know his full name. In Lisbon, the Portuguese Defense Ministry and they could not confirm the pilot’s nationality. “For now the only thing we can say is that he is not a Portuguese soldier,” a ministry spokeswoman told Reuters. Reuters correspondents in Lisbon said the man did not sound Portuguese. A spokesman for forces aligned with the internationally recognized government which is based in Tripoli had no immediate comment on the incident. Residents of Gharyan, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli, said that when the plane was heard overhead, anti-aircraft fire opened up. There was an explosion as it was hit. “The jet was shot down in Al-Hira town (10 km from Gharyan) and I saw LNA troops capturing the pilot,” a Gharyan resident told Reuters. The eastern-based LNA, led by Haftar and backed principally by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, began an offensive against Tripoli in early April but its advance has been blocked by forces loyal to Tripoli on the city’s southern outskirts. The escalation is a setback for efforts by the United Nations and Western states to end the chaos and political division in Libya eight years after a NATO-backed uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.<doc-sep>Forces loyal to Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar have said they shot down a fighter jet over Tripoli and captured its European pilot. The self-styled Libyan National Army told The Independent its forces took down a Mirage F1 French attack aircraft over a suburb of the capital. The LNA is currently battling armed groups and militias affiliated with the United Nations-recognised government in Tripoli. A LNA spokesperson, who asked to remain unnamed, said the pilot, a Portuguese national, survived and was now in its custody. They also sent photos of the alleged crash site and the pilot, which cannot be independently verified. 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Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The photos sent by the spokesperson appeared to show a foreign national, whose head, face and clothes were covered in blood, sitting on a chair in an office flanked by LNA officials. The terrified looking pilot, who has two tattoos on his chest and arm, appears to be wearing a military pilot jump suit.<doc-sep>
Fast News Forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar bring down the plane south of Libyan capital, witnesses and Libyan National Army say, as head of internationally recognised government, Fayez al Sarraj, kicks off EU tour to drum up support. Smoke rises during a fight between members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces and Eastern forces in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya May 5, 2019. (Reuters) Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar shot down a Tripoli government warplane south of the Libyan capital on Tuesday, witnesses and the Libyan National Army (LNA) said. The LNA media unit released pictures of what it said was the pilot with blood on his face receiving medical treatment while seated on a chair. Another picture showed an LNA commander, Abdulsalam al Hassi, standing behind him. A spokesman for forces aligned with the internationally recognised government which is based in Tripoli had no immediate comment on the incident. The eastern-based LNA, led by Haftar, began an offensive against Tripoli in early April but its advance has been blocked by forces loyal to Tripoli on the city's southern outskirts. Residents of Gharyan, about 80 km south of Tripoli, said that when the plane was heard overhead, anti-aircraft fire opened up. There was an explosion as it was hit. "The jet was shot down in Al Hira town (10 km from Gharyan) and I saw LNA troops capturing the pilot," a Gharyan resident told Reuters news agency. The escalation is a setback for efforts by the United Nations and Western states to end the chaos and political division in Libya eight years after a NATO-backed uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Italy warns against military action Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned against possible military action in Libya, as the head of Tripoli's internationally recognised government, Fayez al Sarraj, kicked off a European tour to drum up support against a possible attack by strongman Haftar. The contents of a meeting between Conte and Sarraj –– which Italian media said lasted about 90 minutes –– were not made public. But Conte said on the sidelines of a separate event that "there is no military solution that could guarantee the stabilisation of the country". "The military solution would, in any case, come at the cost of human lives and humanitarian crises," Conte said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (L) and Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya, Fayez al Sarraj reviews troops of the Carabinieri police upon Farraj's arrival for their meeting on May 7, 2019 in Rome. (AFP) Sarraj drumming up support Sarraj, who heads the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), is seeking support against an attack on Tripoli by Haftar, who has urged his troops to "wipe out" government forces. Sarraj was set to travel to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Tuesday and then to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. The visit to France, in particular, comes after the GNA repeatedly accused Paris of politically backing the assault which Haftar's forces launched on Tripoli on April 4. Italy, Libya's former colonial power, is a key backer of the GNA and has echoed calls by Merkel for a "unified" European position and a political solution to resolve the crisis. Conte says confident to meet Haftar In a slip of the tongue, Conte said he had spoken "with president Haftar," but immediately corrected himself to say: "I've spoken with president Sarraj. I am confident I will be able to meet General Haftar soon. We are seeking to establish how and when." Sarraj may also possibly travel to London as part of his tour. Britain has pushed for a resolution at the UN Security Council demanding a ceasefire in Libya but its efforts have foundered amid divisions at the world body. Source: TRTWorld and agencies