E. Libyan forces pull out of parts of Tripoli as campaign to seize capital continues

Eastern Libyan forces pulled out of parts of Tripoli overnight, it has been announced, after losing one of their main strongholds in western Libya on Monday. Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari was cited as saying the forces had carried out a “redistribution and repositioning in the battle fronts, disengaging from some crowded residential areas.”

Commander Khalifa Haftar’s LNA has been fighting for more than a year to capture Tripoli, seat of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognized by the UN and has been active since January with military help from Turkey, Reuters reported.

On Monday, pro-GNA forces took the Watiya airbase west of the capital after weeks of attempts, their biggest advance in a year that deprives the LNA of its only airfield near Tripoli.

According to Mismari, the base had been abandoned as part of a long-planned strategic decision and only old, obsolete equipment was left there.