Tripoli has faced months of intense fighting between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA), with the two competing factions emerging in the aftermath of a NATO-led bombing campaign which helped to topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The Libyan National Army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has given forces loyal to Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj 72 hours to evacuate Tripoli and Sirte, Haftar spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari has announced.
“The strikes on Misrata will continue intensively non-stop both day and night if [the Misratan militias] do not withdraw their forces from Tripoli and Sirte within three days at the latest. The withdrawal deadline is 12:00 am on Sunday night,” Al-Mismari said in a press release.
The powerful Misrata militias, hailing from the coastal city of Misrata, about 200 km southeast of Tripoli, have been fighting on behalf of the LNA government, one of the two competing governments vying for control over the war-wracked country in recent years.
The Libyan National Army, owing its allegiance to the Tobruk-based government, began an offensive on Tripoli in April, leading to months of heavy fighting. Earlier this week, LNA spokesman Al-Mundhir Al-Khartoush boasted that LNA troops had “made excellent progress” in fighting for the capital.
On Friday, an LNA military source claimed that Turkish troops were spotted among the…
