Libyan Commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday announced that the “final battle” to capture the Libyan capital, Tripoli, will commence imminently, reported Reuters.
The Haftar led Libyan National Army (LNA) had launched an offensive trying to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government in April this year.
“Zero hour has come for the broad and total assault expected by every free and honest Libyan,” Haftar said in a televised address on Thursday. “Today, we announce the decisive battle and the advancement towards the heart of the capital to set it free … advance now our heroes.”
Haftar added that his forces are ready to fight any new insane attempt to get control over the Libyan capital. The LNA has often made announcements of advances or decisive military action, but the announcements led to very little concrete change on the battlefield.
Libya has been reeling since 2011 when a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. After Gaddafi’s exit from the political scene, two seats of power have emerged in Libya- one is the UN-supported administration in Tripoli, overseeing the country’s west, dubbed the Government of National Accord (GNA), and the other is the rival government in the east aligned with Haftar’s self-styled LNA.
On Thursday, the GNA said the situation was under control and that its troops were holding their positions in the capital’s south.
“We are ready to push back any more mad attempt by the Haftar putsch leader,” said GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha in a televised address.
According to the United Nations, over 200 civilians and 2,000 fighters have been killed since the start of Haftar’s assault on Tripoli. The fighting has also displaced some 146,000 people.
According to diplomats and Tripoli officials, Haftar is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and most recently Russian mercenaries. The LNA has denied getting any foreign backing.
