Thousands flee homes in Tripoli as fighter's battle on outskirts
Eastern forces and troops loyal to the government in Tripoli fought on the outskirts of Libya's capital on Wednesday as the battle forced thousands of residents to flee their homes.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar had taken up positions in the suburbs about 11 km (7 miles) south of the center, with steel containers and pickups with mounted machine-guns blocking their way into the city.
Residents reported LNA planes buzzing Tripoli and the sound of clashes in outskirts of the city. Haftar's forces briefly took the former international airport earlier in the week, but Serraj's fighters won that back and the LNA was entrenched further south, witnesses said.
