TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya’s government regained control of the country’s main airport from disgruntled militiamen who stormed the Tripoli site with heavy machine guns and armored vehicles Monday, Libya’s interim leader said.
In an interview with the Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera, the head of the country’s National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said the airport was attacked and held for several hours because it is “a strategic facility,” vowing it would not fall out of government control again.
He declined to explain how the airport was overrun with such ease Monday afternoon, saying only that “we have to be peaceful and diplomatic” about how to handle the country’s problems.
The militiamen from the city of Tarhouna had stormed the airport, forcing airport authorities to divert flights. The assailants occupied the airport runway, and flights were diverted to Metiga air base in the city’s center, said Mohammed el-Gharyani of Tripoli Security Committee.
Abdul-Jalil and el-Ghayrani both said the militiamen were angry over arrest of their commander, Abu Oleija al-Habishi, on Sunday.
Tarhouna in central Libya was widely seen as a favorite of deposed ruler Moammar Khadafy. Its dominant tribe, also called Tarhouna, held many positions in the Libyan military under Khadafy. The city’s residents are viewed with suspicion by former rebels.
Tribal rivalries have swept Libya since Khadafy was overthrown last year. Much of the fighting has pitted militias that fought Khadafy against those who remained loyal to his regime.
