Haftar warns that the war in Libya will continue until it is "freed of the invaders and mercenaries"

After his defeat in the capital, Tripoli, last June, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the National Liberation Army (LNA) is fighting back to regain lost territory. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, the eastern leader has said that the "war in Libya will continue until our land is liberated from the invaders and mercenaries". 

"Turkey is practicing a barbaric aggression against Libya, establishing operating rooms and sending its officers, as well as mercenaries and weapons, to fight against the LNA," Haftar denounced, who also assured that the country "is in imminent danger that threatens its present and future through hateful Turkish colonialism. Faced with this scenario, the marshal has affirmed that they will continue to "firmly improve the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces to defend our lands and our people.

In the interview, he also praised the role played by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, the two most prominent allies of the LNA in the Arab sphere, which have repeatedly rejected Turkish interventionism in Libya. It should be remembered that Cairo presented a peace initiative for the North African country that contemplated both the cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the third countries involved from the conflict, with a clear allusion to the Eurasian nation. Ankara rejected it outright. 

"We have responded to the call of the international community to participate in a political agreement. But we will not accept the exploitation of the current situation by the enemy forces to bring more weapons and mercenaries into the country," Haftar said, referring to successive requests from the UN and other world powers to reach an understanding between the two warring factions that would put an end to the conflict that has been going on for almost a decade.

The fighting now focuses on two scenarios: the geostrategic enclave of Sirte, located halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi, on the northern coast of the country, and rich in oil; and in Al-Jufra, in the centre of the country, where the country's largest air base is located, both of which are in the hands of the LNA. Egypt, Russia and France have intensified their presence in both locations to show their support for Haftar and to try to deter Turkey, in an atmosphere that has become heated following the as yet unattributed attack on Al-Watiya, a military installation where Turkish officers were deployed.

In response, Ankara reportedly launched two drone attacks on Al-Jufra, with the aim of gaining control, although this has not yet been confirmed. According to analyst Jalel Harchaoui of the Clingendael Institute, up to three Russian mercenaries were reportedly killed in the offensive. "This would indicate that the assault on Al-Jufra has begun, and soon Sirte will follow," the expert said.