Libya: Haftar’s war plane lands in Tunisia over technical failure

The Tunisian defense ministry Monday announced a Libyan military aircraft belonging to the rebel army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar landed in Mednine, southeastern Tunisia, due to a technical failure.

According to a statement issued by Haftar’s forces, the plane, a L39 jet, took off from the Barak military airport in the south of the country and was heading to Al Outia base in western Libya, but was forced to deviate from its original trajectory and to land after encountering a technical problem.

Tunisian authorities said the Colonel who was piloting the aircraft told them that he landed the warplane after it ran out of fuel and its GPS malfunctioned.

Al Outia base was a theater of fierce combat between Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and forces aligned with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Haftar launched early April a surprise offensive to seize capital Tripoli but the warlord has failed to achieve his set objectives.

Following the forced landing of the aircraft in Mednine, the GNA urged Tunisia to coordinate with Libyan authorities before taking any action, Libyan Observer reports.

A source in the Libyan embassy in Tunisia told the media they had formed a commission in Sfax that is in contact with Tunisian authorities over the warplane.

Tunisia has been on the side the GNA in the conflict opposing the two Libyan sides.

In April, it blocked a press conference that Haftar-linked Libyans wanted to hold in Tunis to explain the Field Marshal’s military offensive on Tripoli.