TRIPOLI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) announced on Tuesday that military forces from the country's east and west had begun establishing a unified air operations command in the central city of Sirte.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense under the UN-recognized GNU said the initiative is being carried out in coordination with the military leadership in eastern Libya. It also announced the establishment of an Air Force Center of Excellence, a military training facility at the Air Academy in the northwestern city of Misrata, open to personnel from all regions.
The ministry said that work is also underway to set up a national joint operations room comprising forces from both eastern and western Libya.
The announcement came as part of ongoing UN-backed efforts to heal a military divide that has persisted between the country's eastern and western factions for years.
Since the 2011 fall of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been split between the GNU in Tripoli and the eastern administration backed by the eastern-based Libyan National Army. ■
