Libya’s Haftar Rejects Proposal to ‘Demilitarize Sirte’

A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
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Libya’s Haftar Rejects Proposal to ‘Demilitarize Sirte’

A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

The Libyan National Army commanded by Khalifa Haftar has rejected a US proposal backed by western parties and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to demilitarize the city of Sirte.

Haftar stressed that the LNA will not hand over the city to the invaders and will not back off.

The Security Chamber of Sirte and Al-Jufra zone that is affiliated with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) announced the deployment of commanders to posts near Sirte.

Acting Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL Stephanie Williams met with Head of the High Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri and his accompanying delegation in Geneva. They discussed the current situation in Libya as well as dialogue tracks emanating from the Berlin Conference.

UNSMIL said in a statement that the meeting focused on ways to resume the political track as soon as possible in order to avoid potential deterioration in the military situation. In addition, the two parties discussed the issue of corruption and its devastating impact.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari, in a press conference held on Wednesday, refused to establish a demilitarized zone in Sirte, stressing that it was “safe and not a conflict zone.” He explained that the purpose of this proposal is to hand over the city to Turkey without fighting.

Mesmari said that “all weapons are available, all types of forces are available, and radar air cover is now available on all Libyan territories.”

He pointed out that the ports of Tripoli, Misrata, and Khamis have become “the main ports for the invading forces supported by Qatar.”

Regarding the opening of the oil ports, Mesmari announced that Haftar “issued a decision to empty the oil tanks and derivatives located in the oil ports and export them.”

Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanallah met Justin Brady, head of Office for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and defended the role of NOC despite the water scarcity in Libya due to the illegal shut down of oil sources.

Sanallah pledged transparency by publishing data and statistics related to output and revenues of oil exports and sales.



Syrian Army Takes Control of Tishrin Dam from SDF

Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
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Syrian Army Takes Control of Tishrin Dam from SDF

Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)

Syrian army troops have deployed near the Tishrin Dam in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province, setting up military positions in what appears to be a step toward assuming control of the facility from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Pro-government broadcaster Syria TV cited an official source on Monday as saying the military had entered the outskirts of the Tishrin Dam area and established military outposts in preparation for a handover of the strategic site.

The dam, located near the city of Manbij, has been under the control of the Kurdish-led SDF, which played a key role in the fight against ISIS in northern Syria with the backing of the US-led coalition.

Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement on March 10 aimed at integrating all civil and military institutions of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northern and northeastern Syria into the Syrian state.

Syrian authorities, the SDF, and Türkiye had reached an agreement, brokered by the United States, for the transfer of the Tishrin Dam to the Syrian government.

Under the deal, the military will deploy forces around the dam, while teams from Damascus have already begun maintenance and upgrading works on the facility.

The agreement aims to bring an end to the fighting that had erupted between Syrian factions loyal to Türkiye, which have integrated into the Syrian army, and the SDF. The clashes, which had persisted for over three months since December 12, have now subsided.

On Thursday, Türkiye’s Ministry of Defense announced that Ankara is closely monitoring the implementation of the agreement regarding the handover of the dam.

The deployment of Syrian forces around the dam comes amid reports of renewed tensions in the area, which had been relatively calm for nearly a month. Syria’s state-run Syria TV reported that the military had sent reinforcements to areas previously affected by clashes with the SDF.

Additionally, reports said the SDF and Syrian forces were on alert after Turkish drones launched an attack near the dam, following the death of a fighter from Türkiye-backed factions in the region. The situation continues to evolve as both sides remain on edge in the strategic area.