Tripoli international airport has been seized by Islamist militias led by forces from the port city of Misrata, in a move that is likely to escalate the current conflict.

Speaking to MEED, a member of the Misrata-based Libya Shield militia confirmed that the airport had been captured.

“We have taken control of the airport, and now we still have to take the Qaqaa and Sawaik bases in Swani,” says Abubaker Alhuta, a member of the Libya Shield operations room in Tripoli.

Qaqaa and Sawaik are both militias that hail from the mountain town of Zintan and have bases on a road that runs parallel to the main highway from the airport to Tripoli.

Misrata militias have been fighting to gain control of the airport since 13 July, when they launched an assault on the Zintan-based militias that have controlled the airport since Libya’s 2011 revolution.

The fighting has reduced the airport to a battle-ground, causing millions of dollars in damage, destroying planes, as well as damaging both the runway and terminal buildings.

The capture of the airport comes after several air strikes on the Islamist forces that have now taken control of the facility.