Three loyal to Haftar killed in attack outside Benghazi, city where he began deadly offensive against jihadists last month

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A renegade general, whose repeated deadly assaults on jihadists in Libya's second city, Benghazi, have been met with threats of reprisal, has escaped a suicide bombing, one of his commanders said.

But three loyalists of former general and longtime US exile Khalifa Haftar were killed in the attack on a villa outside the city, the commander told AFP.

Benghazi was the cradle of the Nato-backed revolt that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but has become a stronghold of jihadists accused by Washington of involvement in a deadly assault on the US consulate in 2012.

"A suicide bomber in a vehicle packed with explosives attacked a villa where we had gathered," said General Sagr al-Jerushi, who heads the air division Haftar has deployed in his attacks.

"Three of our soldiers were killed," Jerushi said, adding that he had been "lightly wounded".

It is the first attack against Haftar since he launched his offensive, dubbed "Operation Dignity", on 16 May aimed at eradicating "terrorists" in Benghazi.

Ansar al-Sharia, a radical Islamist group Washington categorised as a terrorist organisation after its alleged role in the 2012 attack on the consulate, has borne the brunt of the offensive. The group warned Haftar he could suffer the same fate as Gaddafi, who was killed by rebels in October 2011.

The former general has also received threats from to a group linked to al-Qaida in north African. On Sunday Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb called Haftar an enemy of Islam and urged Libyans to fight him.

His spokesman Mohamed Hejazi said: "We hold the terrorists responsible for this attack – this sort of suicide bombing is, of course, the work of terrorists and extremists."

Haftar claims his forces represent the legitimate Libyan army and has won the support of regular army units inside Benghazi, including special forces, for his offensive against the jihadists.

The latest assault by Haftar forces left at least 21 people dead and 112 wounded on Monday.

Even though Haftar denies any political ambitions, the outgoing Islamist-led parliament in the capital Tripoli accuses him of plotting a coup and has branded him an outlaw.

Since the 2011 uprising, Libya has been awash with heavy weapons and former rebel militias control swaths of territory across the country.

Haftar's campaign against the Islamists has struck a chord among the many Libyans angry with the militias, and there have been repeated street demonstrations in his support in Benghazi and Tripoli.

But he remains a figure of suspicion for many veterans of the 2011 uprising.

His two decades in exile in the US gave rise to accusations, first by the Gaddafi regime and then rival rebels, of links to the CIA.

The US has denied any role in Haftar's offensive in Benghazi, although its ambassador to Libya has said she would not condemn his efforts to oust Ansar al-Sharia.

"We have not had contact with him recently. We do not condone or support the actions on the ground, and nor have we assisted with these actions," said the US state department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, on 20 May.

During a visit to Washington two days later, the US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones, said she "personally … would not come out and condemn" Haftar's efforts in going after groups Washington lists as terrorist organisations.

Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the 2012 attack on the consulate in Benghazi, which has prompted persistent criticism of the Obama administration from its Republican opponents in Congress.