At least 141 people, mostly soldiers in strongman General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, were killed Friday during an attack on an airbase in southern Libya, according to the militia’s spokesman.

Spokesman Ahmad al-Mismari told AFP the attack on the Brak al-Shati airbase was carried out by a militia loyal to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli.

“The soldiers were returning from a military parade. They weren’t armed. Most of them were executed,” he said.

Other victims in the attack include civilians who work at the airbase and others who were just in the area, he said.

The GNA condemned the attack and denied any involvement. It promised to investigate the attack and said it would suspend Defense Minister al-Mahdi al-Barghati until those who are responsible are identified.

Rival militias have been vying for supremacy in Libya since 2011 when an uprising removed longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi from power.

The LNA refuses to accept the legitimacy of the GNA and instead supports a rival authority in the east.

 
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