Libya GNA forces recapture Misrata town from Haftar forces

Forces loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) yesterday seized the town of Abugrein, south-east of Misrata, from the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by renegade retired General Khalifa Haftar which had captured the town a day earlier.

On Sunday, Haftar’s forces launched a surprise attack on Abugrein before GNA forces launched a counter-attack and recovered it; chasing Haftar’s forces to the Al-Washeka area.

A spokesman for GNA forces, Mohamed Gnounou, said Haftar’s forces proved that they are not to be trusted after their ground assault on Abugrein and Qaryat Al-Qaddahiyahs, east of Misrata, supported by foreign aircrafts.

Gnounou added that the GNA’s forces destroyed a number of armed vehicles, controlled Egyptian-made ammunition and equipment, and arrested members of Haftar’s forces, including mercenaries.

The GNA said it would review its participation in any future dialogues over the LNA’s violations of the ceasefire declared by Turkey and Russia two weeks ago.

In a statement, the GNA held the truce sponsors responsible for the “aggressor party’s failure to abide by the truce”, and called on the countries that participated in the Berlin Conference to assume their responsibilities towards the repeated breaches of the truce by the “aggressive militias”, in reference to the LNA forces.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Mismari, a spokesman for the LNA, said it had attended the international conferences on Libya to listen to the international community, but the war will continue.

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