Tripoli - Forces loyal to Libya's
internationally recognised government captured the last major
stronghold of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar near Tripoli on
Friday, capping the sudden collapse of his 14-month offensive on
the capital.
Military sources in Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) said
their forces had withdrawn from the town of Tarhouna, heading
towards Sirte, far along the coast, and the airbase of al-Jufra
in central Libya. The LNA made no immediate official comment.
The advance extends the control of the Government of
National Accord (GNA) and allied forces across most of northwest
Libya, reversing many of Haftar's gains from last year when he
raced towards Tripoli.
The GNA has been backed by Turkey, while Haftar, whose LNA
still controls the east and oil fields in the south, has been
supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Nations has started holding talks with both sides
for a ceasefire deal in recent days, though previous truces have
not stuck.
The GNA gains could entrench the de facto partition of Libya
into zones controlled by rival eastern and western governments
whose foreign backers compete for regional sway.
"What is happening now is the beginning of the division of
Libya," Saeed Mugheeb, a pro-Haftar lawmaker, said in a
statement that echoed comments from others in the east.
Turkish military support for the GNA, with drone strikes,
air defences and a supply of allied Syrian fighters, was key to
its recent successes. Ankara regards Libya as crucial to
defending its interests in the eastern Mediterranean.
However, the LNA still retains its foreign support.
Washington said last week Moscow had sent warplanes to LNA-held
Jufra, though Russia and the LNA denied this.
The United Nations says weapons and fighters have flooded
into the country in defiance of an arms embargo, risking a
deadlier escalation. Meanwhile, a blockade of oil ports by
eastern-based forces has almost entirely cut off energy revenue
and both administrations face a looming financial crisis.
Libya's eastern-based military leader Khalifa Haftar is seen in an unknown location in this screengrab. File picture: LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY HANDOUT/Reuters TV via Reuters
Located in the hills south-east of Tripoli, Tarhouna had
functioned as a forward base for Haftar's assault on the
capital. Its swift fall suggests Haftar's foreign supporters
were less willing to sustain his bid to take over the entire
country once Turkey intervened decisively to stop him.
The GNA operations room said in a statement that its forces
had captured Tarhouna after entering from four sides. Some
residents fled towards the east, and the Kani family, which had
controlled Tarhouna since 2014 also withdrew, LNA military
sources said.
Videos and photographs posted online appeared to show GNA
forces inside Tarhouna cheering and hugging each other and
firing into the air.
"The Libyan government forces are rapidly moving in an
organised manner and with armed drones. There could be a
solution at the table, but Haftar's forces are losing ground in
every sense," said a Turkish official.
Amnesty International, which documented recent threats of
revenge killings in Tarhouna by GNA-affiliated fighters, called
for an end to retaliatory attacks against civilians by both
sides.
GNA forces implicated in retaliatory acts as they advanced
west of Tripoli in April have not yet been held to account,
Amnesty said. Both sides had carried out indiscriminate attacks
in civilian areas round Tripoli in recent weeks, while extensive
landmines and booby traps were laid before the LNA and Russian
military contractors supporting it retreated, it added.