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Wednesday, 1 November 2017

Libyans accuse Egypt of killing civilians in Derna

Lawmakers and forces controlling the eastern Libyan city of Derna have accused the Egyptian air force of conducting deadly airstrikes that left a dozen civilians dead, the Associated Press reports. The residents there believe the airstrikes were Egyptian because they “haven’t heard the usual noise of Libyan aircraft.” The UN Support Mission in Libya condemned the attacks saying that at least 12 children and women were among the dead in Derna, Reuters reports. Medical sources had put the total civilian casualties to at least 15 people.

Separately, Armed Forces spokesperson Tamer El Rifai issued a statement saying that the air force launched a raid in the Western Desert targeting the same group which took part in the El Wahat attack. El Rifai showcased aerial footage of the raid and listed its targets as vehicles belonging to the group. He also announced that the Armed Forces had also rescued a police conscript who had been missing since the attack and that he was currently being treated in a military hospital.

The news coincides with a State Information Services (SIS) announcement that BBC and Reuters agreed to amend their death toll figures from the Wahat attack to line up with the government’s. Both news outlets had reported a death toll of over 50 last week, citing unnamed sources, earning the ire of authorities, who put the death toll at 16.

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