Haftar vows to ramp up LNA offensive on GNA-held Tripoli

SouthFront
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:38 UTC

GNA Forces in Aln Zara.

On April 22^nd, the spokesperson of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Major General Ahmed al-Mismari said that the "final decisive battle" in Tripoli is nearing during a briefing in Benghazi.

He said that the offensive will be ramped up to push the forces of the Government of National Accord to a complete defeat.

Despite reports that pro-GNA forces had driven the LNA back in recent days at the southern suburb of Ain Zara, the main scene of fighting, al-Mismari said there had been no LNA retreat.

He did admit that said an advance by LNA forces had slowed because of the dense population in the areas where fighting was taking place. He told reporters the LNA was calling in reservists to open new fronts on Tripoli and said his army would use artillery and infantry in the next days. He gave no details.

The LNA spokesman said that the GNA moved some state institutions from Tripoli to Misrata.

OnTwitter, al-Mismari said that terrorism has almost been conquered in Libya and that Tripoli is the "last stronghold."

Further saying that a terrorist is anybody carrying a weapon outside of the legitimacy of the state.

The LNA General Command on April 23^rd announced that it had shot down a GNA air force fighter jet. It was part of a squad of 3 fighter jets trying to assault the Al-Jafra air base.

The GNA forces denied any warplane was shot down, saying that no flights were carried out due to bad weather since the previous day.

The LNA's War Information Division published a video showing a large force was incoming to reinforce in the fight for Tripoli.

The large force was en route from Jabal al Gharbi's military district, led by Major General Idris Madi.

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The GNA launched a new attack on LNA positions on the Hira area north of Gharyan.

The GNA's Facebook has been somewhat silent, but it claimed that it had destroyed numerous combat vehicles and carried out successful airstrikes over April 20^th and 21^st.

It also claimed it had arrested 7 LNA fighters.

The LNA preparing for a final push on Tripoli comes shortly after the White House issued a statement saying that US President Donald Trump spoke to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on the phone on April 15^th. In the phone call Trump expressed his support for the LNA's operation.

Trump "recognised Field Marshal Haftar's significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources, and the two discussed a shared vision for Libya's transition to a stable, democratic political system," the White House statement said.

It would also appear that the GNA forces are being supported by Iran, as a ship of an Iranian company sanctioned by the United States docked at Misrata on April 22^nd.

BIVOL, a Bulgarian news website specialized in investigative journalism, in partnership with the online international security journal De Re Militari reported that the ship Shahr E Kord is owned by an Iranian state-owned maritime transport company.

"According to our sources, the Iranians, as allies of Qatar, which is active in Libya, are sending military assistance in the form of weapons and ammunition to Misrata so that the port can withstand the attacks." BIVOL reported.

"Bulgaria, for its part, has a close relationship with Qatar and also with Iran - so any such cargo will not be a surprise," explains Ruslan Trad, co-founder of De Re Militari. "What is carried with this ship is not exactly known, it is hardly a good thing." - BIVOL

Meanwhile, Maria do Valle Ribeiro, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya called for a ceasefire, so that the UN and other partners could provide humanitarian aid to civilians.

"We are likely to see a continuation of hostilities for some time to come," she said at a press briefing in Tripoli. "For that we need to gear up and accelerate and increase our capacity to be able to respond."

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Comment:

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Should he prevail, General Hafter may have a harder time ruling Libya, than he thinks. The Great Tribes have no love for him:

From 2018:

[T]he Toubou tribes are still strong supporters of the great Jamahiriya of Ghadafi, they support the Libyan resistance that is fighting everyday against the radical Islamic mercenaries still holding parts of Libya hostage. This stance for a free Libya makes the Toubou a target of the criminals who would continue their illegal occupation and theft of Libya. Below is a famous poem/song of the Toubou tribes

Khalifa Haftar, CIA operative and traitor to Libya is one of these criminals inside Libya. Haftar disguises who he is by alleging that he is fighting the militias and mercenaries to help Libya. This is all a ruse, he is there by the grace of the CIA, he spent 35 years of his life in the US near Langley, VA, home of the CIA. He was taken out of Libya in the 70's by the CIA whom he had joined to fight against his own country of Libya during the Chad wars. When they lost, he was spirited to safety by the CIA to the US. In 2011, he was dropped back into Libya by the CIA to lead their proxy army of mercenaries brought into Libya to destroy the country. After the country was bombed to oblivion and handed to the mercenaries, Haftar pretended to change sides and fight against the invaders (no one in Libya believe this). Haftar was appointed to lead the so called "Libyan National Army" by the Tobruk Government. The Tobruk Government is partially infiltrated with rats that take orders from the same place as Haftar, so they managed this appointment, against the wishes of many in the Tobruk Government and the Libyan tribes. Consequently, Haftar has NO support in Libya but he does have CIA support, so he receives money and weapons to foment the continued destabilization of Libya. He has very few in his army maybe 300 at the most. He takes a few detours and actually does cleanse a few areas to look good, but he organizes acts of terror, lies about Libya, acts of aggression on sovereign citizens, illegal prisons and attacks on the Libyan Resistance (those fighting against the occupiers for their country).

© Map by Giacomo Goldkorn for Geopolitical Atlas (March 18, 2015)

This brings us to the attacks on the Toubou. Haftar, thinking he is king of Libya, has demanded that the Toubou tribes of Libya, leave Libya en-mass. He has threatened to attack and kill them if they do not leave. Haftar is claiming (he is beyond contempt) that the Toubou tribes assisted and brought in African mercenaries in 2011. This is the Zionist (Khazarian Mafia) continuing their false flag lies of 2011. Haftar's masters at the CIA cannot have the support of the Toubou for sovereign Libya. All of Libya, all the people/tribes now want their country and sovereignty back. There is no support for the phony revolution. The only ones hanging on are the criminal militias in Tripoli and Misurata and the CIA troll Haftar. Their biggest fear is of the upcoming election. The Libyan people and all the great tribes of Libya along with the African Union support the candidacy of Saif al Islam Ghadafi. He will be elected and at that point the occupiers are finished as all Libyans will stand with him as he brings freedom and sovereignty back to their beloved Libya.