Article

2020-05-27 Africa North

LNA prepares for major offensive to capture key city of Misrata

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Libyan National Army (LNA) is preparing to launch a major offensive in the coming days to capture one of the most important cities in northern Libya.

Speaking to Sputnik Arabic, a military source from the LNA, which is commander by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar

...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...
, said that the Libyan National Army are preparing to launch a big campaign to capture the key city of Misrata in the northern region of the country.

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The unnamed military source said that the Libyan National Army will use all of its capabilities to capture Misrata in the next 48 hours.

The source pointed out that "the leaders of the Libyan National Army in the General Command are preparing to arrange the attack on the city in order to eliminate armed militias and groups belonging to the Moslem Brüderbund, which controls the city and take its headquarters, which received ~~Ottoman~~ Turkish support through the the airport and ports located in the city of Misrata."

This operation by the Libyan National Army comes at a time when their foes, the Government of National Accord (GNA), is preparing to launch a major operation of their own to capture the strategic city of Tarhouna in western Libya.

Despite the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
repeated calls for a complete ceasefire across all fronts in Libya, both warring parties have accused one another of preventing a cessation of hostilities by launching offensives like the GNA’s last week at the al-Watiyah Airbase.

Posted by Fred 2020-05-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top
File under: Arab Spring

#1 March 2020: In Tripoli the GNA is challenged by its resurrected predecessor - the Salvation Government. ...There is a regionalist dimension to the Tripoli clashes - as many in the capital loathe the presence of armed groups from Misrata, West Libya's military power. This stems from "the Gharghur massacre" of November 2013, when Misratan fired on Tripoli protesters, causing heavy losses.
The latest clashes pit a loose coalition of Tripoli-based brigades affiliated with the GNA against mostly Misratan groups, some of which are affiliated with the Salvation Government. What complicates matters is that the Misratan form part of a military coalition, Al-Bunyan al-Marsus, which recently defeated the local Islamic State group in Sirte.
Operation Dignity, launched by gen. Khalifa Haftar in May 2014 against extremists terrorising the eastern city of Benghazi, deepened the divide. Though gaining popularity in the east, Haftar alienated factions in West Libya by vilifying political Islam.
In the wake of the June 2014 parliamentary elections, fighting erupted in Tripoli... Unable to take its seat in Tripoli, the House of Representatives settled in the east, while the capital fell under the rule of armed coalition Libya Dawn. [To this day] the GNA relies heavily on the big guns of Misrata... [Should Misrata fall, Tripoli would soon follow. The recent situation changed overnight with the arrival of Russian jets.]

Posted by b 2020-05-27 10:24|| 2020-05-27 10:24|| Front Page Top

#2 Should Misrata fall, Tripoli would soon follow.

Let us hope the good field marshal is getting good use of his American education.

Posted by trailing wife 2020-05-27 11:40|| 2020-05-27 11:40|| Front Page Top

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