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TRIPOLI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Libyan pilgrim on Sunday started flying from the capital Tripoli to Mecca of Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.
The first flights of pilgrims headed for the holy land of Mecca took off from Tripoli's Metiga airport. A spokesman of the pilgrimage mission said 10 flights will be headed to Mecca from western and southern Libya, with an average of two trips per day.
Pilgrimage to Mecca is an Islamic duty ritual mandatory to all adult Muslims, capable physically and financially, at least once in a lifetime.
The spokesman pointing out that the pilgrims of eastern Libya will fly from Al-Abrag airport in eastern Libya.
The pilgrimage committee responsible for the management of pilgrims affairs has arrived on Sunday evening to Mecca.
In the meanwhile, the country suffers an ongoing war between forces loyal to the UN-backed government and IS affiliates in Sirte, a city located come 450 km east the capital Tripoli.
