Troops loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) claimed that they had shot down a MiG-21 warplane of the Libyan National Army (LNA) near the city of Tripoli.
The Libyan National Army’s (LNA) fighter jet was downed on Sunday south of the capital of Tripoli, Colonel Mohammed Gnunu, Tripoli’s military spokesman, confirmed without revealing any further details about the incident. Photos and videos that surfaced on social media appear to show the aftermath.
According to a few sources, the pilot managed to eject safely
According to initial reports, the jet was downed over the area of Ain Zara with a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD).
Pro-LNA sources claim that the MiG-21 crashed because of a technical issue. However, this is very unlikely. Two missiles can be seen on the released video
#Libya– a better video (H/T @ibrafid) of the LNA aircraft shot down over #Tripoli, confirming:
1) 2 missiles were launched
2) Aircraft was a MiG-21 pic.twitter.com/QAIfRU3Fx8— Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) April 14, 2019
The photos and videos showed plumes of grey and black smoke billowing in the sky in some deserted area. According to media reports, the pilot managed to eject from the jet before the crash. However, it is unclear whether he was captured by the GNA forces, as some reports on social media suggest, or managed to flee the scene.
An LNA fighter jet has been shot down by the GNA near Tripoli#Libya pic.twitter.com/A05ie4vQr0
— CNW (@ConflictsW) April 14, 2019
On April 12, 2019, Haftar’s Libyan National Army also claimed to shot down a Libyan government military aircraft
Meanwhile, the LNA leader Field Marlshal Halifa Haftar arrived in Cairo where he ment with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The sides discussed the current situation in Libya, including the ongoing LNA advance on Tripoli.
Egypt has close ties with the LNA and is named among one of the key backers of Field Marshal Haftar.
