Scores of civilian homes, as well as factories, mosques and shops, have been damaged or destroyed in the residential areas of Qasr Ben Ghashir, Al-Akwakh, Kremiya and along the main airport road in Tripoli. Farms have been shelled and livestock killed in Qasr Ben Ghashir, according to local authorities. Dozens of houses in the area have been reportedly looted or vandalized by criminal gangs. The looting of private property during armed conflict is prohibited under international law.
The attack on the Zintan militias, in charge of protecting Tripoli International Airport since the fall of Colonel al-Gaddafi, has damaged several buildings and 20 aircraft, according to state officials. The airport has been repeatedly attacked, including with GRAD rockets, since 13 July. While most civilians living in the vicinity of the airport left their homes in the first week of the fighting, others have been unable to leave as a result of shelling or because of a general fuel shortage in the city.
Residents in Tripoli reported a shortage of food, baby milk and medicine for the treatment of chronic diseases as a result of the closure of roads in the southern areas of the city.
Damage to the power station in southern Benghazi and major transmission lines in Tripoli caused by shelling has also caused power cuts in both cities.
At least three medial facilities were damaged in the fighting in Tripoli and two medical warehouses destroyed. A medical clinic and medical warehouse in Benghazi were also partially destroyed as a result of shelling.
Al Afya clinic, the largest private hospital in Tripoli, just 3km away from Tripoli International Airport, was damaged by a GRAD rocket and gunfire after an armed group established a base around 200 metres away from which it was launching attacks on the airport. Staff said that at the time of the shelling there were hundreds of people including medical works, patients and visitors at the hospital. The clinic remained open for the treatment of wounded fighters and civilians in the area but was forced to shut down completely on 17 July after it was hit by mortar fire.
“All measures have to be taken to avoid the unnecessary suffering of civilians. There can never be any justification for attacking a medical facility providing vital care,” said Philip Luther.
(Source: Amnesty International)