The Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, asserted that operations in the capital, Tripoli, will continue until it is freed from militias, meanwhile, his forces announced they killed over 200 pro-Government of National Accord (GNA) armed militants in recent clashes.
Recently, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) warned against the misrepresentation of statements of the Special Representative of Secretary-General (SRSG) Ghassan Salame in the French newspaper, Liberation.
The newspaper published an interview with Salame in which he said Haftar put conditions for possible withdrawal from Tripoli and had required significant state positions. The SRSG also considered Haftar’s attack an insult at him personally and at the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, because the outbreak of the war coincided with his visit to Tripoli in early April.
Haftar’s spokesman Major-General Ahmed al-Mismari said LNA’s war is against terrorists, militias, and outlaws, asserting it is not politically motivated, neither is it for resources or influence.
“Our mission is to uproot terrorism, ensure that life returns to normal in Libya and enable Libyans to freely vote for constitution and electing leaders and representatives,” Mismari said.
For his part, GNA chief, Fayez al-Sarraj, reiterated the situation in the south falls within the priorities of his government.
Speaking during his meeting with a delegation from the southern region of Libya, Sarraj asserted the government would harness all available resources to solve all issues in municipal facilities.
Meanwhile, LNA’s Military Media Division said its forces were able to achieve what it called a “great victory” over the past two days, after targeting 38 elements of Sarraj’s militias affiliated with terrorist groups, in addition to the destruction of seven vehicles.
The Division noted in the statement that this forced the enemy to retreat, as part of the ongoing operations to force the enemy away from residential neighborhoods to unpopulated areas.
The Media Center of the Army's Dignity Operations Room announced that more than 200 militants were killed during three days of military operations, during airstrikes and clashes.
Al-Nawasi militias, loyal to GNA, announced in a statement the death of 28 of its members, which the Center considered a clear message that any militia that insists on the war and does not heed the army’s warnings will face the same fate.
