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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
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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.

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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).

The Syrian Military Operations Administration has been pressing its security campaigns aimed at disarming former regime militia remnants and combating drug traffickers across Syria.

On Tuesday, for the third time, the administration, in collaboration with the General Security Directorate, launched a large-scale operation in western rural Homs. The campaign focused on the villages of Jabbourin Rafain, Al-Haysa, Jabbourin, Qaniyat Al-Assi, Tasnin, Kafrnan, Akrad Al-Dasniya, and their surroundings. Simultaneous campaigns were conducted in Aleppo’s Nairab district, Jaramana in the Damascus countryside, and northern Daraa.

Security sources said the operation in rural Homs targets “remnants of Assad militias who refused to surrender their weapons, arms depots, drug dealers, and traffickers,” according to an official statement from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Military reinforcements were dispatched to support the campaign in the targeted areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the operation in the village of Jabbourin in rural Hama marked the second such operation within a week. The observatory noted that several civilians and military personnel, including those who had reconciled with the government, were arrested. Some detainees were later released, while others remain under investigation.

Residents in rural Homs expressed significant concern about the proliferation of weapons, incidents of abductions, and the escalating fear of retribution. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, they noted a prevailing sense of unease and insecurity, as anonymous actors exploit the current chaos to fuel tensions and instability.

The General Security Directorate in Homs has urged residents in western rural Homs villages and towns to fully cooperate with its forces and the Military Operations Administration to ensure the success of the campaign’s objectives.

In Daraa, southern Syria, the Daraa 24 network reported that the General Security Directorate carried out a raid in the city of Izraa, north of Daraa. During the operation, large quantities of weapons were seized, and warnings were issued to individuals still in possession of firearms to surrender them “to preserve the region’s security and stability.”

An earlier security operation in the Lajat region, located between the Suwayda and Daraa governorates, resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals described as former regime remnants, drug traffickers, and arms dealers. The Syrian Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of “remnant elements and members of a gang involved in the theft of weapons from a warehouse in the Mazraa project area of Damascus.”

Meanwhile, the General Security Directorate released several former regime elements in Damascus after verifying their lack of involvement in violations against the Syrian people. According to local sources cited by Syrian Television, several conscripts detained in Adra Prison in Damascus were freed on Tuesday, with additional releases expected in the coming days.

Last week, the General Security Directorate released 360 detainees, including former regime officers, out of approximately 800 people arrested as part of the Homs security campaign. Following investigations, the authorities confirmed that those individuals were not in possession of weapons and had pledged not to engage in activities against the new Syrian administration.