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Preparations Underway to Reopen Sirte-Misrata Coastal Road in Libya

A bulldozer pushes earth to during a ceremony to reopen the road between the cities of Misrata and Sirte Sunday, June 20, 2021. (AP)
A bulldozer pushes earth to during a ceremony to reopen the road between the cities of Misrata and Sirte Sunday, June 20, 2021. (AP)
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Preparations Underway to Reopen Sirte-Misrata Coastal Road in Libya

A bulldozer pushes earth to during a ceremony to reopen the road between the cities of Misrata and Sirte Sunday, June 20, 2021. (AP)
A bulldozer pushes earth to during a ceremony to reopen the road between the cities of Misrata and Sirte Sunday, June 20, 2021. (AP)

Libyan National Army forces, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, have started setting up security checkpoints along the Sirte-Misrata coastal highway west of Sirte ahead of its official reopening.

The Sirte-Misrata highway connecting Libya’s east and west will be officially reopened according to an agreement set by the 5+5 Joint Military Committee that includes representatives of the east-based LNA and forces loyal to the transitional authority in the Tripoli.

Meanwhile, military officials in the Government of National Unity (GNU) confirmed that the government has withdrawn its forces five kilometers south of the highway.

Commander of the Sirte-Jufra Liberation Operations Room Brigadier General Ibrahim Bayt al-Mal told Andalou Agency on Thursday the move is in line with the agreement reached with the committee.

A spokesman said control of the road and security points was transferred to the GNU’s interior ministry.

However, he claimed the LNA forces were refusing to reopen the parts of the highway under their control.

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh had recently announced the reopening of the highway.

The road had been closed since Haftar’s offensive against Tripoli and the former Government of National Accord (GNA) in 2019.

Dbeibeh was in London on Friday for talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

They discussed the GNU’s efforts to restore stability in Libya and prepare to hold free and transparent elections in December.

They also stressed the need for the withdrawal of mercenaries from the North African country and the unification of the military.

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Türkiye Fortifies its Positions in Idlib Ahead of Possible Military Escalation

Turkish tanks are seen in areas adjacent to regions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. (Turkish Defense Ministry file)
Turkish tanks are seen in areas adjacent to regions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. (Turkish Defense Ministry file)
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Türkiye Fortifies its Positions in Idlib Ahead of Possible Military Escalation

Turkish tanks are seen in areas adjacent to regions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. (Turkish Defense Ministry file)
Turkish tanks are seen in areas adjacent to regions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. (Turkish Defense Ministry file)

The Turkish army has brought in military and logistic reinforcements to its positions in de-escalation zones in Syria’s Idlib that lie in the areas covered in the agreement reached between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The reinforcements were concentrated in the sourthern Idlib region, while on the other side, Syrian troops have also been amassing.

Damascus sent a missile system from the Raqqa and Sabrin airports in the Aleppo countryside and deployed them in areas adjacent to regions held by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other factions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights predicted that clashes may soon erupt between the Syrian forces and armed factions in Idlib.

Turkish forces have also been busy completing a “security line” stretching across their positions in eastern Idlib.

The Observatory said Turkish forces continued to pour into the contact lines with the Syrian troops for the third straight day.

The reinforcements began after a meeting between Putin and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow on June 11.

At the same time, sources close to the Syrian government told Turkish media that a meeting was held between Russin, Turkish and Syrian military officials at the Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia.

The sources viewed the meeting as a resumption of talks between Ankara and Damascus that had been frozen for some time.

The meeting focused on developments in Idlib and its surrounding areas. This was the first meeting of its kind to be held on Syrian territories.

Turkish sources approached by Asharq Al-Awsat did not confirm or deny that the meeting was held. They did reveal, however, that Putin and Fidan had discussed the possibility of resuming Moscow-sponsored talks that began in June 2021.

The issue will be discussed during the upcoming meeting between Putin and Erdogan in July at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana on July 3-4.