Skip to main content

Hifter’s forces in Libya withdraw from parts of Tripoli in major setback

The capture of two towns and a key air base were the latest in a series of setbacks for military strongman Khalifa Hifter.
Vehicles of forces loyal to Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) are seen outside a checkpoint at Al-Watiya airbase also known as Okba Ibn Nafa airbase, which they seized control of, southwest of the capital Tripoli, on May 18, 2020. - Libya's UN-recognised government scored another battlefield victory Monday against strongman Khalifa Haftar, capturing the key rear base used by his fighters in a conflict now in its second year. Haftar, who controls swathes of eastern Libya, launched an

Forces loyal to Libya’s eastern military strongman Khalifa Hifter withdrew from parts of Tripoli after rival troops captured two towns near the Tunisian border and a key air base from the renegade general. 

A spokesperson for Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army said that was a "redistribution and repositioning in the battlefronts, disengaging from some crowded residential areas,” according to Reuters. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.