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| Libyan Commander Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli in April, 2019. |
Tripoli, LIBYA
Libyan Commander Khalifa Haftar urged his forces to
advance towards the centre of Tripoli on Thursday in what he said would be the
“final battle” for the capital.
Haftar, who
heads the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), launched an offensive in April to try to take control of
Tripoli which stalled on the outskirts of the city.
“Today we announce the decisive battle and the
advancement towards the heart of the capital to set it free ...advance now our
heroes,” Haftar said in a speech broadcast on Al Arabiya TV.
His forces have often issued announcements of
advances or decisive military action that have been followed by little concrete
change on the battlefield.
Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim
Haftar is a dual Libyan-American citizen who is a military officer and the head
of the Libyan National Army, which, under Haftar's leadership, replaced nine
elected municipal councils by military administrators, and as of May 2019, was
engaged in the Second Libyan Civil War.
Haftar is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates
and most recently Russian mercenaries, according to diplomats and Tripoli
officials. The LNA denies it has foreign backing. – France24
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