Jets circle over Benghazi clashes

In a move disavowed by the Libyan government, a retired military general led Libyan troops and other forces loyal to him in a deadly attack Friday against Islamist militants in and around the eastern city of Benghazi, CNN reported, citing Libyan media.

At least 12 people were killed and 91 others were injured in clashes around the country's second-largest city, Libyan state news agency LANA said Friday, citing local hospitals.

Retired Libyan Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who participated in the 2011 rebellion that ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi, launched the attack that supporters said was an attempt to clear the city of extremist groups, CNN affiliate Libya Awalan TV reported.

The Libyan government and the military command in Tripoli reacted with alarm, saying that they didn't order the attack, and that the operation -- which they conceded included some Libyan soldiers -- amounted to a "coup."

That such a force could mount an attack without the government's blessing underscores the difficulty that Tripoli -- more than 400 miles to the west -- has had in trying to influence a dire situation in Benghazi, where Islamist groups have been blamed for near daily assassinations, bombings and kidnappings against security forces.

A Libyan air force plane and 120 military vehicles took part in the unauthorized operation against the militants, acting Prime Minister Abduallah al-Thinni said on Libyan state-run TV.

Residents of Benghazi, meanwhile, told CNN that they saw more than one military plane overhead Friday. It wasn't clear how many of the operation's fighters were members of the North African country's military.

"Their movements are against military orders issued by the legitimate authorities," al-Thinni said, adding that he felt the move undermined government-sanctioned efforts to fight militants in Benghazi.

Haftar led the operation, Libyan army Chief of Staff Abdul Salam Jad said, describing the attack as an "attempted coup on legitimacy," according to Libya's official LANA news agency.