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Libyan Army under GNA sends ultimatum to Haftar militia groups to surrender or face the consequences
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Al Ahram adds:
The air base has been of strategic importance to the forces loyal to the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...
, who in April 2019 launched an offensive to capture the Libyan capital.

The LNA and its allies still control eastern and southern Libya, which contains most of the country's oil facilities, in addition to the city of Sirte, at the centrepoint of Libya's Mediterranean coastline.

The capture of al-Watiya marks an advancement for the GNA forces, pushing back Haftar’s LNA and its allies.

Egypt, the UAE and Russia are backing Haftar, while Turkey has been supporting the GNA.
Posted by: Fred 2020-05-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=571992