Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Qatar has sent weapons to Islamist rebels in Libya.

Officials said Qatar sent three military air transports to an airport near the Libyan capital of Tripoli. They said the weapons were unloaded by a major rebel militia at Tripoli-Matiga airport.

“We confirm that we have official reports that these war planes carried weapons and ammunition,” Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah Al Thinni said.

In an interview with a television channel in the United Arab Emirates, Al Thinni did not specify the arms shipments. The prime minister said the Qatari shipments could push Tripoli to sever relations with Doha.

“We will consider breaking off relations if this interference into Libya’s internal affairs continued,” Al Thinni told Sky News on Sept. 14.

This marked the second time in about a week that Libya accused an Arab state of sending arms to Islamic militias. In early September, Tripoli said Sudan sent an air transport filled with weapons to Tripoli-Matiga airport.

“The Sudanese brothers are trying to interfere in Libya’s affairs,” Al Thinni said.

Qatar denied that it sent military shipments to Libya. In a statement on Sept. 15, a senior official said Doha did not intend to interfere in Libya, which in August saw air strikes by Egypt and the UAE.

“It would be appropriate for Al Thinni to ensure the accuracy before releasing such statements, especially since he did not say a word against the bombing of his country and its citizens recently, even though he did not criticize the armed interference in his country,” Qatari Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi said.

  Abdullah Al Thinni, Libya threatens to ‘sever relations’ with Qatar over arms delivery to Islamist rebels, Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Tripoli-Matiga airport