Two killed in helicopter crash

Two soldiers were killed Sunday when two helicopter gunships swearing allegiance to Brigadier General Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya collided in flight, a spokesman said.

“The collision between the two helicopters resulted in the death of General Abuzaid al-Barasi and technician Milad al-Asbei,” Miloud el-Zouai, a spokesman for the special forces under Brigadier General Haftavour Leftar, told AFP. LES), which controls the eastern part of the country and part of the south.

“The crew of the second helicopter is safe and sound” after the accident, which occurred yesterday Sunday afternoon near Messos, a community about 130 kilometers southeast of Benghazi, the second largest city in the country.

In images broadcast by Libyan media and uploaded to social networking sites, the authenticity of which could not be verified by the French Agency, the helicopter carcass can be seen in an uninhabited area.

The two helicopters were “carrying out a military mission”, the spokesman for General Haftar’s forces added, without elaborating on the nature of the mission.

Earlier, Reuters news agency reported that LES helicopters collided while taking part in an operation against a rebel group with which it had previously had an alliance. The Chad Front for Change and Unity (FACT) took part in the long-running civil war in Libya on the side of LES. In April, his fighters crossed into northern Chad and engaged in battles with the African country’s armed forces. Chad President Idris Debbie was killed in the clashes. His son has been in power ever since, accompanied by senior army officers.