The eastern Libyan National Army forces of Khalifa Haftar, a former officer in Gaddafi’s army said on Monday that 19 of its soldiers had been killed as battle for Tripoli intensified.
In recent days, LNA forces closed in on the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.
Eastern Libyan forces sought to reach the centre of Tripoli after their easy advance through desert hit a trickier urban phase, with deaths and displacements mounting and the West aghast at the threat to its peace plan.
Renewed civil war in Libya splintered into areas of factional control since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, threatens to disrupt oil and gas supplies, trigger more migration to Europe, and allow Islamist militants to exploit the chaos.
The United Nations said 2,800 people were displaced by clashes and many more could flee, though some were trapped.
